The Aneukarian Incident (Apoidea)
by Manuuk7
Summary: The first of two stories that flow from the same prologue.
1. Apoidea - Prologue

_Note: First, I do not own any of the Star Trek characters other than those I make up myself. I swear._

_Now, about this story, remember these books where you could choose the plot of your story? I thought about doing the same, but my issue with these books was that I always read everything in order of appearance no matter what option I selected, which spoiled the surprise a lot. So I decided to split this into two connected stories; or perhaps not connected, two potential ways it could play out. I have not decided if I will publish both in parallel or one and then the other. And I do expect some paragraphs, possibly a whole chapter initially, to be very similar. Which is the reason for this long-winded explanation why that may be the case._

* * *

_**Enterprise**_

"Captain Archer's log. We're still in the Porcellio Gamma Three constellation. There have been no reportable events, the science teams are hard at work verifying the Vulcan star charts and cataloguing new information."

Archer clicked off the com with a sigh. Lucky scientists. The entire ship was abuzz with their excitement, Enterprise had become one giant geekfest. It was day sixteen of their assignment and as far as he was concerned it might as well have been day sixty-one. That's how long he felt this had dragged on already. Way too long. He needed some action. But hard to deflate the excitement of his teams with the news that their captain was bored.

At least he had Trip on his side, the Engineering crew had pretty much hand-buffed every last head of every last screw on board. In a little while, the numbers would be with him, there would be more bored crew members than not and the balance would start tipping. Then he could start gently asking T'Pol when they would be done without getting lectured about the invaluable data they were streaming on a daily basis.

Every day found her almost impatiently waiting to be done with breakfast so that she could run down to the labs and start another day of exploration. Of course, she'd deny every last bit of it, Vulcans didn't run and they didn't get excited, yadi, yadi, yada. But she didn't fool anyone.

"Captain, I'm getting a distress call!" Hoshi interrupted his mulling.

'Damn, Jonathan, don't you know better than ask for action?!' part of him reproached. The other part couldn't help celebrate the news that there would at last be something for him to do. To each his own.

"Hoshi, ask their coordinates and let them know we're on our way; Travis, set a course when we have them!" His commands were short, efficient. "Ah, Hoshi, also let the science teams know we're detouring for a short while, tell them we'll be back as soon as the emergency's resolved."

Part of him knew that it was something he should have done himself, but he just didn't feel like being the messenger. T'Pol would look at him as if she suspected he'd something to do with it, and truth be told he would'a if he could'a. That made him not wish to face her directly.

* * *

It took two days before they finally spotted the alien ship, unmoving though life support systems were obviously still on. The vessel was huge, larger than he'd expected. But then, why would he think that a vessel in distress was necessarily small? This one was a transport almost half the size of Enterprise, several decks, at least three to judge by the portholes, and a huge bow. Definitely not a design he was familiar with.

"Hail them, Hoshi, put it on the screen."

He glanced over at T'Pol and was graced with a quizzical eyebrow in return. Now that there was no more data to be collected, she was back on the bridge. He shrugged his ignorance of what was wrong with the vessel, waiting tensely for an image to appear on the main screen.

And what an image. There were a dozen or so of those beings on the alien ship's bridge. These were definitely aliens. Long, tall, and willowy. Graced with external sexual characteristics that firmly established they were female. They had a general air of kinship. They were all tall, their necks elongated beyond the Human norm, their eyes naturally shadowed, their hair a two-tone white and tan.

They were chittering excitedly with each other. Finally, one of them split from the group, came closer to the view of the bridge crew. Archer noticed there was a double edging of some sorts along the lines of the short-legged tunic that hung close to her body. He got up from his chair and walked to the screen.

"I am Captain Archer, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We've received a distress call."

A pair of huge black eyes blinked repeatedly. She looked stupefied, like she had never seen aliens before. Usually space farers were slightly more accustomed to encountering other humanoids. She started chittering at the screen.

Archer turned to Hoshi, "The universal translator's not working!"

Hoshi was frowning, looked back up at him. "It may take a few moments to calibrate. I don't know what their root language is."

At that moment, the tall alien started talking in Standard. "I am X-Eliantix, Captain of the fulfillment vessel Tarorat. We're experiencing technical difficulties."

Archer glanced at Hoshi. "_Fulfillment _vessel?" he asked softly. She briefly shook her head, she had no idea what the translator meant. He turned his attention back to the alien. "What kind of technical difficulties?"

"Our engines won't maintain more than life support systems. We need to get back to our planet for repairs." The alien captain still seemed somewhat enervated, to judge by the repeated rapid blinking of her eyes. She was looking fixedly at Hoshi.

Archer turned to Trip, who was looking a lot chipper. This emergency was a godsend for him as well. "Perhaps we can help," Archer replied. He turned to T'Pol. "How's the atmosphere on the ship?"

"The levels are quite acceptable for Human lifeforms, comfortable even." T'Pol dropped her voice. "May I remind you of Starfleet directives -"

"My chief engineer will go over shortly, with a couple of technicians, see what can be done," Archer announced to the alien captain, cutting T'Pol off because she could finish her sentence.

He knew what she was going to say. That he needed to ascertain these aliens didn't present any danger or threat, and were generally inoffensive in their disposition. If he listened to regulations, they'd never do any exploring. Archer trusted his gut instinct, and his gut instinct was that these aliens were inoffensive.

xxx

_**Tarorat**_

A silence fell over the bridge as the aliens walked in. A dozen pair of black orbs blinked repeatedly. Finally the Captain walked over to the new arrivals. "What are you?" she asked in a half-whisper.

The alien with the gold hair bared his teeth, though it did not seem to be threatening. "We're Humans, ma'am, from a planet called Earth. I am Charles Tucker the Third, Chief Engineer on Enterprise, but call me Trip."

Trip hesitated, wondering whether it was good manners, but curiosity was the stronger. "And what are you?" he asked.

"We're Aneukarians," X-Eliantix responded. The others stood around her in stupefied silence. Trip almost felt like checking the two technicians with him were not doing anything incongruous. He figured the Aneukarians hadn't dealt with many aliens before.

"I thought perhaps we could have a look at the engines, see if there's anything we can do for you?" Trip flashed his broadest smile again, all southern charm. Three Aneukarians separated from the group and one of them introduced herself as the engineer.

After walking what seemed to be miles of corridor, the six of them were staring at the warp coil and the blinking crystal chamber. Trip frowned, this didn't look too good.

One of the technicians siddled closer as they were taking readings. "Chief, did'ya see, they're all females!" he whispered. Trip rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't noticed. "What d'you think it is?" Awada asked again.

Trip shrugged him off with a shoulder. "We don't know their world. Perhaps the men are much smaller."

"Or perhaps the men carry babies," McBreen cut in, guffawing. Trip rolled his eyes. Since the Xyrillian incident, there'd been plenty of jabs from his men. They loved him to death, and he didnt let it bother him. "Yes, there are worlds where men stay home and have the babies. Get over yourself, McBreen."

"Or perhaps there's no men!" Awada anted up. The three of them chuckled at the thought.

* * *

Glossary

X-Eliantix - Captain of the Tarorat


	2. Apoidea - Act I

_Note from the author: SPOILER ALERT - If you think you know how the story is going to develop, and some of you are very good at anticipating where I'm going, may I ask that you PM me privately about it and not post it in reviews. __As I said, some of you are VERY GOOD at predicting what comes next, but I'd like to let everyone discover where the story goes (or the stories go) for themselves. _

_Thank you!_

* * *

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

"It's a mess, Jon, we need to do a complete refit of the dilithium cylinder," Trip was talking animatedly when T'Pol walked in. He acknowledged her with a nod before going on, "the best option is to replicate the parts we need here on Enterprise, but I'll need to do a full shut-down for the install. I figure it will take two days at least."

Archer nodded in understanding. "And if you do a complete shut-down, they won't have any life support."

"For two days," Trip repeated. Two days without life support was somewhat of a death sentence.

"Perhaps we could bring them to Enterprise for two days," Archer mulled. "How many of them are there? Forty?"

"Forty-two," Trip replied.

"Captain," T'Pol interjected, "we still do not know if their race is inoffensive or what their intentions are."

"I know, T'Pol, I know," Archer groused, "but what else do you suggest? We can't kill them all in the process of fixing their engines, that'd be counter-productive, don't you think?"

"I am not advocating to deny them aid," his Vulcan officer replied, "but I advise you to proceed cautiously. You are offering to bring an alien group on board who is almost as numerous as the Enterprise's crewmembers. We need to be prepared for the eventuality they are hostile or have adverse objectives."

"I see your point -"

"-Sir?"

Trip suppressed a smile while Archer mentally rolled his eyes . Sometimes he wondered if T'Pol wasn't doing it on purpose.

"I understand, T'Pol. I'll brief Lieutenant Reed. Why don't you work with him at figuring the best set-up. Trip, you'll have to try to go faster than that. I don't want them on board much longer than two days."

"As long as I have my hands on their engines they can't create too much havoc," Trip replied with a smile.

"True enough." Archer looked at both commanders. "In the meantime, why don't we invite Captain X-Eliantix and some of her officers over to dinner, see what they're made of," and quickly, before anyone could ask, "that means check their intentions, T'Pol."

xxx

_**Tarorat**_

"We don't know anything about these people!"

X-Ealiantix rubbed X-Aljikax's arm. "This will allow us to find out more. You saw who was there on the brige." Her first in command was not adventuresome, but she was very group-minded. "And they've offered to help us. I don't think they would have done so if they had ill intentions towards us."

"But they're asking us to leave our ship and go over to their vessel. What if they want to capture us, make us hostages, or worse?"

"If they did, they wouldn't need to invite us over. We're incapacitated already. All they'd have to do is destroy the ship and pick us up."

X-Aljikax reluctantly nodded.

"And remember the mission," X-Ealiantix went on. "This could be the answer to what we're looking for."

X-Aljikax keened in derision. "Yes, and somehow they'll be compatible! Just like that!" — X-Ealiantix was a good leader, but sometimes she was over-optimistic.

"Our scientists can extract material from anything. I'm sure there'll be something there for us. I just have a hunch," X-Ealiantix went on.

— Obviously, she was in one of her highly optimistic moods — X-Aljikax decided to drop the subject. For the time being.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

Archer threw a meaningful glance at Trip, received one in reply. The Aneukarian women had been looking at the two of them all dinner long as if they'd sprouted two heads and he was getting a little tired of the thinly-veiled observation. Especially since they didn't behave the same way with T'Pol. They'd looked at her with interest, and once they'd established she was a Vulcan female, had seemed quite content to interact on a number of different topics of conversation. But every time he or Trip opened their mouth, their guests visibly tensed, as if they'd never encountered men with the gift of speech before.

Perhaps Aneukarian men didn't talk at all and that's why they were so surprised. Not that the could quite lean over and ask in a conversational tone about the male members of their species or why the ship's officers, and a large part of the crew, from what Trip reported, were female. So he was going at it in a roundabout way, trying to get information about the type of planet and civilization Anakeuria was without being too obvious about it.

Fortunately, T'Pol too had caught on the lopsided reaction and was playing her part, lobbing questions at the two Anakeurians that would help all of them get a better understanding of their guests' culture.

By the time Archer proposed, and was turned down as if he'd committed a gross impropriety, after-dinner coffee, he was only too glad to escort their guests back to the airlock and their transport. He gave a long-suffering sigh as the door closed on them and turned to Trip. "Well, I don't know what their issue is with us personally, but I think we can be pretty comfortable they don't have ill intentions towards us."

"We still do not know enough about their culture, Captain," T'Pol commented. "Their reaction to you and Commander Tucker was worthy of note."

So, she had noticed it too. "It may simply be that we're not at all like the male of the species. It was hard to ask directly, I didn't want to offend them. Can you check the Vulcan database, see if you can find anything about their society? And all the other databases, just in case." Though it was doubtful any of the other databases would have any information on the species.

"Most certainly." The mention of the Vulcan database had propelled T'Pol on a different track. "I trust that once we proceed with the repairs on their ship we will resume our initial mission of exploration?"

Archer could have groaned, and he was pretty certain Trip could have too. On the other hand, they'd just gotten a few days reprieve. "Of course we will," he quickly reassured her. Then, to change the subject, "You and Reed have figured out how to host the Anakeurians while we repair their ship?"

T'Pol gave a brief nod. "Lieutenant Reed shares my concerns about the intentions of an alien group residing on Enterprise." Archer refrained from commenting that yes, he would expect as much, Reed was paranoid to start with. "We will triple the Anakeurians in crew member cabins. It may be slightly uncomfortable but it is only for a short duration." She didn't add that having the Anakeurians separated in individual cabins rather than housed together as a group would enable swifter external control if needed.

"Good. Trip, you handle the replicator side, let us know when everything is ready. T'Pol, given the Anakeurians captain's reaction to Trip and me, I think it makes sense to have them come in small groups first, get used to the environment. You and Hoshi will have to play host, it will be easier for them. Round up other women who may want to interact with aliens and don't usually get a chance." He slapped Trip on the shoulder, "You and I are stuck with manning the ship, I guess. A man's work is never done... It's a joke, T'Pol," he added over his shoulder as the two of them started down the corridor.

xxx

**_Tarorat_**

"What have you observed?" X-Eliantix asked the crewmembers around her. Some of them had gone over to the Enterprise ship, had met the aliens, each with a mandate to take notes about anything and everything.

"There are some like us and many not like us," X-Psilex, one of the younger ensigns piped up. X-Eliantix nodded in agreement.

"Those like us do not seem to be mistreated," X-Smalix offered. X-Eliantix nodded again. The pilot was right.

"They have many databases, one for everything," another specialist brought up.

"What about those who come on our ship?" X-Psilex asked. X-Eliantix made a mental note of her questions. The youth showed promise.

"I can scan them," X-Igofox answered, "so we can learn how they're different. It will give me a basis for research."

"Make sure they don't know about it," X-Eliantix warned. The less the aliens knew about their plans, the better for all of them. "We need to learn more," she added. She turned to X-Igofox . "When you go, let them know you are our healer, find out where their medical facilities are. They must have a medical center. Everyone else, I want a full detail of what there is, how many like us and how many not like us, how the ship operates. Perhaps we won't use any of the information, it all depends on what X-Igofox finds out, but we need to have it."

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

Malcolm stayed where he was, watching the interaction between the Aneukarians and the crew as Hoshi guided a group of aliens through the mess hall. They all seemed captivated by her, bombarding her with questions. And she was doing a good job of ducking and sidestepping. T'Pol and he had been very clear about which areas of the ship the aliens could see and what information they could access during their short stay.

Archer could afford to be a generous optimist because his chief of security was keeping an eye on things. Unknown aliens presented an unknown risk. At least T'Pol was seeing eye to eye on him with this, for once he didn't feel like he was the lone suspicious soul trying to keep the ship and everyone aboard safe.

He saw several of the male crew members get up and leave. It had become common knowledge that the aliens were not comfortable with men, and there was an abundance of possible reasons why that were offered in private conversations. But most of the men didn't want to make the aliens more uncomfortable, not when they were about to come over for a few days while their ship was being fixed.

He turned to leave. Everyone who interacted with the aliens had to report to him about the conversations and what the Aneukarians were asking for. They'd already made requests for several databases while they'd be guests aboard Enterprise. They were interested in everything in there, and he really meant everything. Some of which seemed downright prurient. He wasn't sure that he should be providing smut to aliens, but if that's what they wanted...

xxx

**_Tarorat_**

Trip smiled at X-Urwjanx. The Aneukarian engineer seemed a lot less skittish around him. At times it felt like she even forgot he was an alien, as in when they were adjusting the specs for the parts that the replicator was fabricating, or checking the fit of a hard-to-reach element of the drive. Soon enough, everything would be in place and they could start moving the entire Tarorat complement to Enterprise. Then he would be working with his team, and her team, in spacesuits for a good part of it. Spacesuit work was always dangerous. He would be relieved when their engine was repaired, they could start life-support systems again, and he could go back to his daily routine.

"How many crewmembers are on Enterprise?" X-Urwjanx asked as she handed him a duotronic inverter wrench.

"About ninety... Let's see," Trip was counting in his head, "we had eighty-six when we stopped at Coragis VI, and we picked up three new recruits there... so eighty-nine. Yes, eighty-nine." He stretched from where he had been bent over the equipment, freeing the tube. "Why d'you ask?"

"And there'll be enough room on your ship for all of us?" the Aneukarian engineer continued.

"Sure sounds like it. I know Malcolm and T'Pol have been hard at it, doubling up crew-members so you could have space. It won't be too comfortable for a while, but you'll be fine. We all will."

"Doubling-up?"

"Yes, you know, instead of one person to a cabin, they'll bunk with someone else. If they're two to a cabin, there'll be a third." Of course the officers' quarters were off-limit, but she didn't need to know about that. "Enough people volunteered, it's easier that way."

"How do you have two persons to a cabin when you are... you know..." X-Urwjanx hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. Fortunately, Trip picked up on her meaning. "Oh, that. That's easy, you pair men with men and women with women. Of course, there are exceptions, but overall it works pretty well..." He trailed off as X-Urwjanx looked like a deer caught in the headlights, just staring at him with huge black eyes.

Trip wasn't sure what he'd said to offend her, but now seemed a good time to switch the subject. He paused, looked around at the engine room. "It's hard to believe there's only forty-two of you, the ship is much bigger than that. Perhaps you can give me a tour when we're done?"

That seemed to snap the engineer out of her momentary reverie. "Half of the ship is comprised of storage rooms," she explained, "the lower levels." She abruptly stopped herself, busied herself inspecting her tools.

"Storage rooms?" This didn't look like a merchant ship. Trip wondered what they must have in storage.

But X-Urwjanx was calling his attention to the photovoltaic reconfigurator. He picked up on her lead and they both went back to dealing with engine stuff.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can," Phlox smiled from ear to ear at X-Igofox , "between colleagues, it's the least we can do." The way the alien woman was staring at him was disconcerting. He half expected her to jump out of her skin if he made an abrupt motion. "Now, when will you be available for a full-body scan? I would love to know more about Aneukarians, add your species to the Interspecies Medical Exchange Database."

X-Igofox didn't seem to be hearing him. Phlox cleared his throat to try and catch her attention. She visible startled, took a step back, and he took a step back in response, fearful he'd scared her. But she caught her countenance quickly, watching him with her huge blinking black eyes. "What are you?" She finally asked.

"Me? I'm a Denobulan, from the planet Denobula. T'Pol and I are the only aliens on Enterprise." He hoped that's what she meant.

"T'Pol?"

"The officer with the pointed ears. She's a Vulcan, from the planet Vulcan."

That seemed to be of great interest to the Aneukarian doctor. "She's not the same as the others?" she went on.

"No, and neither am I." He graced her with another of his smiles.

"Can I get her genome? And yours?"

The request took Phlox aback. It was one thing to want to know everything about Humans and their civilization, obviously the Aneukarians hadn't met too many aliens before, but sharing their entire genetic make-up... That seemed a little bit of an overreach. He couldn't help thinking of Terra Prime and other nefarious groups. His smile faded slightly.

"That is an uncommon request. What do you propose to do with the information? Hmmm?"

"I am a geneticist by formation. It remains a point of personal interest." X-Igofox seemed ready to bolt.

Phlox didn't believe her but projected the impression of being satisfied with her answer. "Of course. Well, perhaps when you come back for that scan, hmmm?" He smiled again at her, clearly impressing he was done handling her request.

As she left his office with an armload of datadisks on Humans, Phlox scowled briefly. She had asked for his and T'Pol's genomes, but not for that of Humans. Perhaps she was interested only because they were aliens. He made a mental note to mention it to Captain Archer when he next saw him. One never knew.

xxx

_**Tarorat**_

"So that's how many there are?" X-Eliantix asked.

"Yes, Captain," X-Psilex and X-Urwjanx responded as one. X-Eliantix nodded her approval. She addressed X-Igofox, "What about compatibility?"

The healer nodded vigorously, "They are compatible, but I'm not sure about the two aliens. For the other ones, we can strip the material, extract what we need-"

"- Captain," X-Aljikax interrupted, "based on what we know, it looks like the Humans should survive on Aneukaria. We could have unlimited access, take care of the entire population."

X-Eliantix looked closely at her second, blinking. If it were true... "We could save everyone...," she whispered, afraid to voice her hopes too loudly. There was no choice now, they had to do it. "You have the supplies?" she turned to X-Urwjanx.

"I have everything we need, but remember, I won't be on the starship until later. I have to stay on the Tarorat with the engineer."

"We'll disassemble it and bring it over with us, you can easily reassemble it later," X-Eliantix reassured her. "You'll be aboard by the time we need to activate it." She looked around at the assembly, "We'll have two days on the starship to complete our knowledge. I want everyone to start thinking about what they want to learn more about. The Captain has promised we will have access to their databases."

"Why do we need to know more than we do now?" X-Smalix argued. She often voiced the misgivings of the less senior crew members.

"Because we've never seen beings like them before," X-Eliantix responded. "We cannot assume their biology works the same way as ours. We already know it doesn't, but we don't know how it works. If we're mistaken, we could cause their death unnecessarily."

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

"Think about it, tomorrow at this time you'll be back on your ship, ready to take off!" Archer raised his glass in a toast, followed by his dinner companions. T'Pol accented his toast with an eyebrow. X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax followed suit with their drinks. Overall, Archer was pleased with the state of things. The Aneukarian captain and her first officer had grown somewhat used to him over the past few days, they no longer seemed about ready to bolt whenever he talked. He still felt they were somewhat uncomfortable around him, would have liked Trip there to balance the heavy atmosphere.

Except that his chief engineer was hardly around, shuttling back and forth between Enterprise and the Tarorat. But now everything was ready, the preparations for the refit had already started, the Tarorat support systems had been taken off-line a day ago. The engineering teams would be refitting the engines overnight, then a brief test to make sure everything worked as planned and they'd come back to Enterprise, leaving the Tarorat empty of all occupants while the engines cycled through launch, spewing radiation and pollutants all over the ship. The life-support systems would patiently filter and clean the air, and then the Aneukarians would be back on the Tarorat and off to wherever it was they planned to go.

Another day and they would be back on their ship. The hosting of the Aneukarian crew had gone remarkably smoothly, the aliens came over in three of their shuttles, not complaining about being packed like sardines in there or about having to sleep three to a room. There'd be no complaints about anything. And they'd scarcely be seen around the ship, spending their entire time in their quarters, going through the ship databases, per Reed's reports. Of course, Reed was keeping a precise log of what they accessed and when, and of any attempts to enter the restricted areas of the central computer. But the aliens had been behaving.

Somehow, he felt they had learned a lot more about Humans than the Humans had learned about Aneukarians. But that was because Enterprise was the one doing the hosting. At least they had a good idea where Aneukaria lay, if not exact coordinates. Every last crew member had been engaging the aliens when they were around, getting pieces of information here and there. When they were gone, they'd pull all the pieces together and establish a brief profile of Aneukarian society, to be completed by some future ethnologist group. In the meantime, he owed it to his science teams to go back to where they were before and pick up on cataloguing the rogue stars.

xxx

_**Tarorat**_

"We're ready, Captain," Trip's voice resonated over the intercom.

"Good job," Archer's voice came over more faintly, "good luck and we'll see you back on Enterprise."

Trip shut off the connection, turned to the five space suits around him, noticing once again that the Aneukarians were taller than they were. Stronger, too, as he'd discovered when they had to re-insert the trilithium oxidizer range. That thing must weight upwards of fifty pounds, and X-Urwjanx had grabbed it with one hand, lifting it easily. Even T'Pol was not as strong.

Awada and McBreen had been left speechless. Trip had commented on it, and X-Urwjanx had looked at him as if there was something wrong with his question, that lifting fifty pounds with a hand was the norm. That's when he realized they really didn't know much about the Aneukarians.

It was a good thing Reed was keeping track of the aliens on Enterprise. He'd made a note to let Reed and Jon know about how strong they were, but hadn't had the time. Actually, he probably should have let them know already. He'd do it as soon as he went back on board Enterprise.

McBreen was asking him a question about the condenser controls, they were not aligning properly, and he went to check, forgetting about other considerations.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

"We're ready, Captain," X-Aljikax whispered in the darkened room. Even if the aliens were listening, they wouldn't know what she was referring to.

"Good," X-Eliantix answered. "X-Urwjanx, how are we proceeding?"

"It's almost done. I still need the insert the medium."

"X-Ilgofox has it. She'll give you the cartridge."

The healer puffed up her hair, parting it in the middle to reveal a small canister made of inert material. She handed it to X-Urwjanx. "Here, I checked the dosage against their vital statistics. We'll have plenty of time."

* * *

_Glossary_

X-Eliantix - captain of Tarorat, the Aneukarian ship.

X-Aljikax - first officer of Tarorat.

X-Smalix - pilot of Tarorat.

X-Igofox - doctor of Tarorat.

X-Urwjanx - chief engineer of Tarorat.

X-Psilex - ensign on Tarorat


	3. Apoidea - Act II

_**Enterprise**_

T'Pol woke up from a dreamless sleep. The room was canted in a way that was unusual. Something was not right. She slowly pushed herself up, realized she had fallen asleep on her meditation pad. She had no memory of falling asleep, or being tired. Even if she had been tired, Vulcans didn't require as much sleep as Humans, she should have been able to keep functioning. She brought a hand to her head where a concussive headache was starting to nestle. Perhaps she was sick. She shivered, rubbing her arms, looking down at her short pajamas. the warm air of her quarters was not so warm that she could sleep on the floor without a blanket.

The bed had not been disturbed. She hadn't heard Trip come in, or perhaps he had not. If he had, he would have awakened her, guided her to the bed. She gathered he must have encountered some issues with the engine restart on the Tarorat and had been working through the night. She would swing by Engineering on her way to the bridge, make sure he was reserving enough rest periods for optimal functioning.

But first, she would go to Sickbay, ensure her own optimal functioning. The pressure behind her eyes was relentless, the headache seemed to be intensifying. If something unexpected had happened, she needed to be fully functional. Captain Archer and the crew needed to be able to rely on her.

The ship was quiet, almost deserted. She didn't encounter anyone on her way to Sickbay, however that was not unexpected. Most crewmembers would be going the other way to their stations.

Dr. Phlox was alone in the medical bay, sleeping with his head on his desk, his snores filling the space. T'Pol checked the chronometer on the wall to make sure she was not unduly early. But it was already 0557, the doctor would be awake at this time. In any case his hibernation period was still a few weeks off.

Phlox stirred when she called his name, but did not wake. She steeled herself before gently touching his shoulder, making sure she would not chance on stray thoughts or feelings the sleeping Denobulan was harboring.

It took a more resolute shaking but finally he seemed to wake up a little, opening unfocused eyes on her while he smacked his mouth several times. He suddenly jumped away from the desk and up, almost sending her reeling back in the process. He brought a hand to his head, frowning.

"Are you feeling adequate, doctor?" T'Pol enquired, wondering if perhaps there was a virus on board.

"Yes, yes," the Denobulan passed a hand on his forehead, seeming to stare inside his mind, "I was reading my journals, I don't remember falling asleep."

"I had a similar experience," T'Pol contributed, "I currently have a headache," she added. She thought of Trip, perhaps he had fallen asleep, in the engine room. She wondered if he too would have a headache.

The whirring of Phlox scanner brought her attention back to the doctor. He scowled as he reviewed the readings. "This is most unusual."

Before she could ask for the source of his concern, he had turned the scanner on himself, was checking the data streaming back in response. He finally looked over at her. "It seems you and I have traces of Zupixylonium in our blood."

"Zupixylonium?"

"Yes, a most potent but completely odorless somnifere. It is very similar to one we've encountered it before, remember those aliens who were obsessed with gold?"

"I do." T'Pol shot a side glance at Phlox, keeping herself from reaching up and rubbing her ear — it had been a repulsive experience but she did not remember being so incapacitated by a headache — "But I did not have a headache," she continued.

"That was only because it was a slightly different chemical composition," Phlox supplied, "it looks like this one is not that compatible with Vulcan and Denobulan physiology. I'm administering an antidote, you'll be fine in no time." She offered her neck to his hypo, blinking her relief as the headache started to lessen. Phlox had turned around, was injecting himself with another

"But how-," T'Pol stopped herself, staring at Phlox, her eyebrows knitted in thought. There was little doubt as to the 'who'. She quickly slid off the biobed and strode to the intercom. "T'Pol to Captain Archer." There was no response. T'Pol turned to Phlox, "What is the effect on Humans?"

"Nothing to worry about, they'll just wake up refreshed from a long sleep."

T'Pol nodded, turned back to the intercom. "T'Pol to Captain Archer, come in Captain." There was still no response.

T'Pol looked at Phlox, who stared back at her. Before he could weigh in, she had turned around and was taking off at a run.

* * *

Archer didn't respond when she rang his door. She waited for a couple of minutes and then walked in. There was reason enough for the breach of privacy. But Archer was not asleep in his quarters, even if the bed showed that he had been there during the night.

There was several possibilities, including that the was already on the bridge since this was the day the Aneukarians went back to their ship, or in the mess hall, in spite of the early hour. He could also be exercising or busy with a number of other ship matters.

She thought back to the empty corridors she had ran down on her way to Archer's quarters. Too empty. The hour was not so early that the ship would be in the middle of delta shift. There was a quick way to find out. She quickly exited the Captain's room and went straight to the bridge.

The bridge was deserted. None of the alpha shift crew was there, which was as expected, but there was also none of the skeleton delta shift crew that would man the ship during the night. The Aneukarian ship was no longer showing on the makn screen, shoring up T'Pol's suspicions.

She strode over to the science console, calling the internal sensor routine. "Computer, show me the location of Captain Archer."

"Captain Archer is not aboard Enterprise," came the metallic voice.

The answer was unexpected, and yet it wasn't. T'Pol's eyes widened in spite of herself as she asked the next question, "Computer, please provide the location of Commander Tucker."

"Commander Tucker is not aboard Enterprise." T'Pol reflexively grabbed the science console, feeling a sense of disorientation sweep through her. Where was Trip? Where was Archer? If something had happened to Trip, the bond would have let her know. Unless that was a side effect of the drug, also. She looked again around the bridge, her fingers tightly gripping the console. Were Phlox and her the only ones left on board?

Ensign Sato entered the brige at a half-run, dispelling that thought. She saw T'Pol and almost stepped back out, before looking around at the empty bridge. Surprise propelled her back in and she walked over to T'Pol.

"I was looking for...," she started, stopped herself. T'Pol observed that the ensign was not ready for duty, had recently stepped out of the shower, that her hair was still wet, not put up with her usual careful precision.

"You were looking for Lieutenant Reed?" T'Pol asked.

Hoshi blushed slightly, took a step back, "Huh, I mean, I wanted to ask him about... we had a training session..." Her voice trailed as she became aware of the baldness of her lie. She stopped, nervously biting her lip, she should have prepared an excuse before she got to the bridge.

T'Pol looked at the Ensign, wondering why she would pretend not to have a relationship with Lieutenant Reed. The existence of their relationship was an established fact, well-known from the crew, even if Captain Archer had never mentioned it. She wondered if perhaps Captain Archer was not aware that Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato smelled like each other when they came on the bridge in the morning.

She turned to the console, "Computer, please provide the location of Lieutenant Reed."

"Lieutenant Reed is not aboard Enterprise." She had been expecting the answer,

"What?! But we were just - I was -" Hoshi stammered.

T'Pol fixed her, "Ensign, how did you sleep last night?"

"Well, that's the thing, Malc - Lieutenant Reed and I were talking, and then I woke up. I must have slept really soundly, I didn't hear him..." Hoshi stopped, realizing she was actually acknowledging the existence of their relationship to a superior officer, when she and Malcolm had taken such pain to keep it under wraps. But then these were not usual times. "Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, letting go, "he was spending the night with me, when I woke up this morning he wasn't there, I thought he'd be in the mess hall but he wasn't there either, and he's not in the armory."

"Ensign, Lieutenant Reed is not on the ship," T'Pol interrupted gently. The young woman was in denial about the computer's announcement.

Hoshi seemed to finally hear it. "Not on the ship?! But how could that be possible?! Where could —" She was interrupted by the irruption of Amanda Cole on the bridge. "Captain!" The former MACO turned security guard started before sbe stopped, looking in confusion at T'Pol and Hohsi, at the empty bridge.

T'Pol eyed the security woman coldly. "What is the matter, Specialist?" Vulcans never forgot.

"Commander! The men! They're gone!" Amanda spluttered.

"Gone?" There were many possible interpretations of the expression, and yet part of T'Pol already knew what would come next. "I woke up this morning, the security quarters are empty, its just me and Jennifer!" Amanda exclaimed.

T'Pol had already turned to the science station. "Computer, provide the location of security personnel currently aboard Enterprise."

"Amanda Coles is on the bridge; Jennifer Ygout is on Security Deck 5," came the reply.

The intercom whistled the two-tone call of an incoming transmission. T'Pol walked over to the Captain's chair and palmed the connection open. "Bridge."

"Captain! Uh Commander!" the voice was excited, talking pressing news, "I'm looking for—". The beep of another call paused the connection. Another beep sounded at the same time. T'Pol leaned over the intercom, acknowledging the calls in quick progression. "Hold on for a shipwide announcement, Bridge out." She turned to Hoshi. "Open a shipwide channel, Ensign." Hoshi took two steps to her console, nodding back when the connection was open.

"Attention all crew members, this is Acting Captain T'Pol. There will be an all-hands meeting in," T'Pol let her gaze trail over Hoshi, thinking fast, "the Mess Hall at," a glance at the chronometer showed the time to be 0637, "0705. BC protocol. I repeat, all hands meeting in the mess hall at 0715, BC protocol."

She shut the intercom. BC or buddy check protocol meant everyone who heard the summons would grab their cabinmate and those of the two adjoining cabins. The entire ship would be covered, nobody left unaware.

She turned back to Amanda, checking that she was armed. "Come with me. Ask Specialist Ygout to meet us at the head of corridor C." That was the deck where the Aneukarians were hosted. "Ensign Sato, you have the con."

* * *

T'Pol knocked at the door to X-Eliantix cabin, Specialists Cole and Ygout flanking her with guns drawn. There was no answer. Not that she expected one. "Computer, override, Commander T'Pol, voice recognition 28474."

"Acknowleged. Override," the computer obediently replied.

The room was empty. T'Pol strode to the wall intercom, "T'Pol to Bridge."

"Hoshi here. "

"Summon Specialist Akhoun to the bridge. Ask her to identify the signature of the Anakeurian ship and lay in a course in pursuit." The discharge from the newly installed engines was massive, they would have no trouble following it.

"Aye, sir."

T'Pol let the com shut, looking at the floor.

"Commander, I've got something!" Amanda called. There, on the desktable, was a data padd well in evidence, obviously begging to be found. T'Pol took it, turning it over in her hand. "Go to the mess hall, get everyone situated," she told the security guards, "I'll join you."

* * *

T'Pol would have argued she didn't call all all-hands meeting in the Mess Hall based on a hunch but on a logical conclusion inferred from a series of deductive steps. The Mess Hall was too small for an all-hands meeting and yet by the time the doors opened on her it was only partially full. It could easily hold forty-five of the eighty-nine crew members and only twenty-three had shown up. Some looked like they had just gotten off a deep sleep, some were visibly agitated. Of course, the drugs would not have had the same effect on everyone. All conversation stopped as she entered. She looked over the room, acknowledging Dr. Phlox with a nod and noticing the presence of Ensign Harold Willcox at the back of the crowd. There was a line open to the bridge, were Ensign Sato and Specialist Akhoun were slowly tracking the Aneukarian ship.

Counting them and herself, there were twenty-six crew members left. Twenty-six for a ship with a complement of eighty-nine. Were she Human, she might have allowed the enormity of the task ahead to defeat her ever so slightly. But she was not Human and the only logical course of action was to address the situation in the best possible manner in order to rescue the missing crew members.

The crew gathered in a tight semi-circle around her. The anxiety of twenty-two Humans was pressing on her shields, coming at her like a dense emotional cloud that she had to fend off. And Trip was far enough away that the habitual resonance had left the bond, its absence lapping at the edges of her consciousness, making her exert significant energy to prevent it from affecting her decision-making. She would need to constantly steel herself against these intrusions. But first, she needed to explain and yet there was no time to explain, their collective energy would be better spent in action.

"The aliens we were hosting, the Aneukarians, have left Enterprise and abducted sixty-two of our crew members. According to the message they left, they see this as an act of liberation for the remaining crew members, and they wish us godspeed on our journey." She raised her hand to quell the noise that erupted in reaction to her announcement, waiting for them to listen again. "Enterprise is already in pursuit of the alien ship and we plan to rescue our crew members." She paused, letting the information sink in. "We are reassigning everyone to critical ship functions but first we need to ascertain that there the aliens have not sabotaged any of these. Lieutenant Ortiz will provide everyone with their new post. Go directly to your assigned station and start running the verification protocol that will be provided. All exceptions are to be reported directly to the bridge. We will have another all-hands meeting at 0830."

Ingrained military discipline was no match to the emotions roiling the room. People were grouping in two's and three's even as they lined up in front of Ortiz. "Where are the men?!" someone called.

T'Pol could not see the speaker. There was no point hiding the truth. "Apart from Dr. Phlox and Specialist Willcox, there are no males remaining aboard Enterprise. We think they are on board the Aneukarian ship."

There was a lull, as if the information left everyone slack-jawed. "All the men..." a specialist in the front row repeated.

"That is what I said, Specialist Beausang." T'Pol turned to the rest of the room, "We are already in pursuit of the Aneukarian ship. See Ensign Ortiz for your new station. Remember that all exceptions are to be reported directly to the bridge. " She stepped aside as the group started filing past Ortiz.

Phlox sidled to her. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

T'Pol eyed him with equanimity. "We are in pursuit of the Aneukarians." She handed him the data padd. "Here is what they behind. I need you to find out everything you can, we need to understand why they took the men and what they are planning to do with them. Report to the bridge as soon as you have an answer."

Phlox was not deterred. "You think you can handle the ship with a third of the crew_?_"

"A portion of the crew was not involved with ship operations. If we shut down all non-essential areas I estimate we can run the core functions Enterprise with a complement of forty-eight."

"We're twenty-five instead of forty-eight."

T'Pol noticed that Phlox was not including himself in the roster. "The crew will have to work double shifts, with rest periods of six to eight hours."

"For how long?"

"Until we rescue our shipmates," she almost snapped back. She paused, wondering if Phlox had noticed the burgeoning emotional lapse. He was eyeing her silently, rocking on his heels. "And Trip," he added.

T'Pol faced Phlox squarely. "We do not have a choice, doctor. If you propose we wait here for Starfleet to send additional personnel, may I remind you we do not know the Aneukarians' intentions towards any of the missing crew members."

"But you don't know for how long," Phlox repeated. "Vulcans can work in highly demanding situations for extended periods of time but Humans will become debilitated from excess stress."

"I trust that the chief medical officer will help ensure the crew's physical and emotional well-being."

"And that of its Captain." Phlox's smile took any sting out of his words.

"As you pointed out, doctor, Vulcans can work in highly stressful situations for long periods of time."

"So long as they have a modicum of sleep and meditation, yes." His tone implied he doubted any of it would apply.

T'Pol chose to ignore that statement. "I have alerted Starfleet and let them know we are in pursuit of the Aneukarians. I will have two members of the science team help you sift through the aliens' research into our database, try to ascertain what it is they were looking at."

There was a commotion at the front of the room that drew their attention. Hess was coming in at a run, bumping hard against one of the crew. "Commander! Huh, Captain!" she shouted as she barely stopped in front of T'Pol. "The dilithium converter!" She was gasping for breath, obviously at the end of a long run from Engineering.

"The converter," T'Pol supplied, helping with an eyebrow.

Hesse tried to whisper, but whispering was not in her bag of tools. "They took the dilithium converter!" The Mess Hall went silent as the remaining crew members stared at them in a mix of horror and puzzlement.

T'Pol nodded. She had expected the Aneukarians didn't leave Enterprise with full capacity. "What can be done to replace it?" She knew from Trip that Hesse was the second finest engineer in Starfleet. If it could be fixed, she should be able to fix it.

Thrown back in her comfort zone, Hess started spitting rapid-fire information at T'Pol. "We have two of them, there's a feed loop from one to the other, to harmonize the variances in individual crystals! I can take the other and put it through the replicator, but it'll take a couple of days!"

They didn't have a couple of days. "Is there any way to accelerate the timeframe?"

Hesse shook her head. "The long pole in the tent is the replication. With a couple of extra pairs of hands, I can take the secondary chute apart and put it back together in a couple of hours on each side. That'll save half a day. But that's all."

T'Pol called over to Ortiz. "I need three volunteers for Engineering stat!" There were enough women left in the room and three pealed off to join Hess. T'Pol turned back to Hesse. "How is staffing in Engineering?"

Hesse smirked. "You're kidding, right? How many engineers d'you know that have boobs?!"

A raised eyebrow was her only answer.


	4. Apoidea - Act III

_**Tarorat**_

He needed to change position but couldn't. His arms must be caught in the bedsheets. Archer strained to bring his hand out from under the blankets. The effort finally woke him up, that or perhaps it was the "Hey, Captain!" that someone kept saying over and over. Who was in his quarters and why couldn't he bring his arm up? He was sleeping so soundly that he couldn't even fully articulate the thoughts. Slowly, the world of sleep disappeared and he started waking up.

He finally opened his eyes, taking a couple of seconds to register his surroundings, then sat bolt upright, the rush of adrenaline chasing the last cobwebs of sleep. He would have gotten up, but he couldn't, and the reason for his inability to bring his arms up was quite obvious in the shackles that held his arms tied to the wall behind him. Archer tried to turn around, a quick glance confirming the set-up was keeping him neatly seated on some bench, flush to the wall.

He looked around, there were over twenty Enterprise crew members there, all sitting on a bench running the perimeter of the steel-walled room, all shackled. Half the room was still peacefully asleep, the other half in various phases of waking up, pulling disbelievingly on the short chains that held their arms to their side and back. Trip was next to him, his head unselfconsciously pillowed on the shoulder of Chan, who was just waking up.

"Trip, hey, Trip," Archer called. On the other side of the room, Reed was looking at him with relief. He must be the one who had been calling him. In turn, he would help wake up the others. "Everyone, get up!" Archer hollered.

That did the trick.

"What the...!" Next to him, Trip was blinking at Chan, tried to turn to Archer, found out that the couldn't, held on a tight leash as he was. "Jon, what's going on?! Let me sleep." The enginner tried to turn around and burrow his head in Chan's neck, the security man half-amused, waiting for Trip to realize he wasn't T'Pol.

Archer would have none of that. "Trip, wake up!"

That pulled the engineer out of his torpor. Archer realized he must have been going without sleep for quite a while, fixing the engines of the Tarorat. Little help that did them. Finally Trip emerged. "Where are we?! Why are we here?! What's going on?!" He fought against the restraints, a losing battle, quickly slumped back against the wall. This time it looked like he was fully awake.

"I was hoping you'd provide some intelligence on that," Archer drily answered. "All I can say is that this is not Enterprise. Now, considering the only other ship in vicinity was the Tarorat, I guess that's where we are. Do you recognize the ship?"

Trip shook his head. "I've only been in their engine room." He straightened up. "Hey, I asked X-Urwjanx to see the ship and she mentioned there were storage rooms below." He chewed on his lip, "actually, she got pretty silent after that. I didn't pay attention to it." Trip started looking around, scanning all angles of the room. "D'you think that's where we are?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Archer's tone was curt. He was boiling inside. They'd help the aliens, given them new engines, and that's the thanks he got?! And then there was the small matter that he had been forewarned by Reed and T'Pol that he knew nothing about the Anakeurians of their intentions. He looked around at the room more closely. "What about T'Pol?" he asked Trip.

That set a scowl on the engineer's face. He scanned the room, taking in who was there. "I don't know. I didn't make it to bed last night. And obviously, she's not here." That was obvious to Archer as well.

"I wonder where the women are." Reed's voice floated over them. A handful of the crewmen looked around, their expression quickly sliding towards glum.

"They must have them in a separate room," Archer supplied. He looked around again. "There's only thirty of us or so here. Any idea why they took us and not the others?"

Before Reed could answer a sudden low thud resonated in the room. It didn't sound like normal engine noises. The men looked at each other, some with concern on their face. "Quiet!" Archer ordered. Silence fell on the room. The low thud resonated again. He looked at Trip. "What does it sound like?"

The engineer was scowling. "If that's the sound from their engines we'll be dead in space pretty soon. But that can't be, we calibrated the entire set-up perfectly." Archer looked at Trip disbelievingly. Here they were prisoners of these aliens and what mattered to him was that he did a good job with the engine repair?! If it turned out the engines crapped out on the Aneukarians, he'd give him a medal.

The thud sounded again. And again, in a somewhat regular fashion, not cyclical enough to be mechanic. Trip was getting more and more perturbed as it went, trying to fathom what could cause the engine to misfire that way. It was Reed who almost jumped out before being abruptly yanked back. "Morse! It's Morse code!"

The realization dawned over the room. Everyone put their ear to the wall, trying to locate the source of the dull thuds that sounded more orderly now that they now knew what they were. Finally the source of the sounds was isolated as coming from the short wall on Archer's left, where six or so crew members tried to lean out of the way so as to minimize any interference. Meanwhile, Reed and others were feverishly decoding the message. "E-a-r-u-s..." "Can you hear us!" Private Gamza offered. Considering how many letters they had missed in the initial confusion, his guess made sense.

"Okay, but how do we signal back to them?" Trip wondered out loud.

In response one of the six men along the short wall slammed his back in the wall hard enough to generate a loud thud and make the wall vibrate.

Archer winced. They may need to adjust the pitch or they'd run out of crewmembers. "Ask them how many they are!" he ordered. Part of him hoped that the Aneukarians didn't take everyone aboard Enterprise.

Slowly, over several minutes, they established that the other room held another thirty-two men, for a total of sixty-two. Archer decided against asking the names of everyone in the other room as the information was of limited practical value. It was finally Malcolm who broke down. "Ask them if Ensign Sato is with them," he gruffly asked one of the six. Archer looked at Reed in surprise. The chief of security shrugged, "she's a communications expert, it might come in handy." Archer nodded, mindless of the furtive glances exchanged by the other men in the room.

Reed spelled out the answer, concern and doubt slowly creeping up on the men's faces as they letters came up one after the other, "n-o-w-o-m-e-n-..."

The men looked at each other. "Perhaps they left them on Enterprise," Trip optimistically offered.

Archer shot him a warning stare. It was better not to start speculating on the fate of the women, the last thing they needed was for anyone to bring doubt to the fray. "They must keep them in a separate room," he told the room. "T'Pol is with them, they'll be fine." He craned his neck to look all around, "Everyone, start thinking of ways to get out!"

* * *

Hours had passed and they were no closer to figuring a way out of the room. And they were growing thirsty and hungry. The forcefield that had been shimmering at the wide entrance to the storage room suddenly fizzled and died out. The sound of approaching footsteps resonated down the corridor. Archer sat upright, tensing up. X-Eliantix and three Aneukarians stepped in, weapons drawn, obviously skittish in spite of the fact all the men in the room were tied up.

Arched eyed them with more than a little dissatisfaction. "What is the meaning of this?! I demand that you free me and my crew immediately."

X-Eliantix walked up to him, "I apologize, Captain, I had no other choice. I'm sure you will agree once we explain. Your men and you will be treated well, I give you my word."

"Your word?! Your word doesn't have much currency with me."

X-Eliantix blinked several times. "We will explain. I need to release the restraints holding you. I only ask that you come peacefully with us, we will explain." The Aneukarians seemed extremely uncomfortable in the midst of the men, the three aliens with her forming a protective barrier, arms drawn, shielding their captain from thirty shackled men.

They walked through what seemed to be miles of corridor before Archer found himself in a large room that looked like a cross between a working room and living quarters. He surmised this must be X-Eliantix's ready room. She pulled out a contraption very similar to a chair and he sat down, repressing the urge to suddenly turn around and shout 'booh' at the three armed Aneukarians behind him. They might be freaked out enough to shoot even though his hands were manacled in front of him.

The three guards left the room and he was alone with the Aneukarian captain. X-Aljikax and a new alien came in, one he remembered seeing talking with Phlox on Enterprise. "And you are?" he asked.

"This is X-Igofox. She is our healer," X-Eliantix replied. She pushed a glass of water in front of Archer and he drank readily. "I am having food brought up. We studied the optimal combination of proteins and nutrients for a Human of your species."

'For a Human of his species'... He wasn't sure what she meant but there were other things on his mind. "Where is the rest of my crew?!" he asked, aware it came out as more of a demand.

The Aneukarian blinked her eyes at him. "The women on my ship, the ones you didn't take."

"The ones like us are on your ship, captain." Archer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. There had been a slight hesitation in X-Eliantix's voice though, and his antennae were up. "You didn't hurt them, did you?"

In Humans, the reaction would have been affronted. "We would never hurt those like us." X-Eliantix paused. "They'll be fine as soon as they replace the dilithium converter." So that was the hesitation he had noted. They'd left them without warp drive in the middle of unknown space. Not what he'd liked to hear, but on the other hand between T'Pol and Hesse and the others, they'd get the ship back together in no time. They might actually have already repaired it.

"You realize they'll come after you," he commented. "Have you ever encountered a Vulcan before?" might as well warn them.

"They will not pursue us," X-Aljikax confidently countered, "once they fix the converter, they'll realize they're free."

"Realize they're free? Free from what?"

This time both Aneukarians blinked their eyes at him. "From you..." X-Eliantix seemed surprised he would ask the question.

Archer was dumbfounded into silence. He finally found his voice, "From me?"

"From those not like us, from your species," X-Eliantix seemed slightly agitated. "We studied your history from the ship's database, Captain. We know your species has been treating the other species as second-class citizens for millenia."

"The other species...?" Archer had never had such difficulties following a conversation.

"Those like us!" X-Eliantix was now openly frustrated.

"Hold on, hold on a second!" Archer wished one of his officers were there, someone who could tell him he was actually getting what they were saying. "You think men and women are two different species?"

Now the confusion was on the other side of the table. The three Aneukarians looked at each other as if Archer had just dropped a verbal bomb on them. "They're not!" he hastened to add in the silence that has settled on the room. "Men and women! We're the same species, just different sexes."

"Different sexes...?"

Obviously that was not computing. How could they have spent time aboard Enterprise and not picked up on that? On the other hand... "You mean you only have the one sex...?" It was his turn to be hesitant.

The Aneukarians stared at each other in turn. "What do you mean by sex?" that was their healer, X-Igofox.

"Like, you don't have men and women?"

The two Aneukarians seemed to twitch. X-Ilgofox leaned forward. "There is only one species of Aneukarian, those like us."

"Well, men and women are not different species," Archer put his manacled hands in front of him on the table "we're just two different genders of the same species. Human. One species, two sexes, male and female, men and women." He cleared his throat. "As far as the way men have treated women in the past, I can't say it's too glorious, but we've come a long way since. There's a strict conduct code in Starfleet and nobody would ever think of women in a different way. Women serve because they want to."

X-Aljikax eyed him suspiciously. Archer was starting to get that she was the security on the Tarorat. "How do we know what you say is true?" she asked.

"Ask — well, of course, you can't ask the women. Ask any men on the Tarorat, ask any of us. Actually," Archer just realized he had another angle, "a couple of them are in relationships with the women you left on Enterprise." He could see from the rapidity of the blinks that the concept was a hard one for the Aneukarians to fathom. "Men and women have relationships. The sexes are attracted to each other. Well, mostly." It was obvious this was way above his audience's grasp. He needed to build his case quickly. He leaned back in his chair, projecting an aura of bonhomie, "So it seems we've both been victim of a huge misunderstanding. You can now release us and get us back to our ship."

X-Eliantix shook her head from side to side. "We cannot. We need your genetic material."

It was Archer's time to blink. "You need our genetic material..." He wished Phlox was there, he could explain what they meant. "Why ours?" — after all, they thought they were a different species.

"Wel,, the genetic material of those like us is of better quality but yours is more conveniently located," X-Igofox jumped in, "your species, or sub-species, is loaded with easy access features."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, your reserves of genetic material are external, so there is no need for somatic invasion, and they are also already optimally compacted, plus you have an access tube."

All of a sudden Archer had a sense what they might be talking about. He felt himself blush. But this was no time to be embarrassed. He looked at X-Eliantix askance. "And you need our genetic material because... you're running out?" This was getting weirder by the second.

X-Igofox nodded vigorously. X-Eliantix started speaking, "Fifty years ago, a comet came very close to hitting Aneukaria. Fortunately it passed through our atmosphere and did not make contact, even though there was massive destruction from sonic waves. It was only years later that we realized the comet had dispersed radiation throughout our atmosphere. The impact was drastic. The DNA of all living Aneukarians was affected, so much so that most of our offspring cannot survive past infancy. Our entire species was condemned to disappear unless we found new reserves of unpolluted DNA. We need a reservoir of error-free DNA_. _The Tarorat was launched with a crew of fifty individuals, to try and find a compatible source. We had been looking for over a year when we lost engine power and Enterprise came by."

"There are more and more irregularities in our stores of reserve material. We lose 92% of each replacement generation," X-Igofox spoke in turn. "The only hope for our civilization is to extract and graft healthy root DNA and once we filter out various factors the DNA of your species is highly compatible. Your genome is different than ours but there are enough points of similarities that our doctors will be able to extract what we need._" _

"But why didn't you tell us?"

"We apologize for the ruse and for the necessity to abduct you but desperate times call for desperate measures. Based on your historical treatment of those like us, we didn't think you'd be willing to help."

Archer shook his head. "But why didn't you just ask?! We could have helped you! I told you about the Federation, about all the worlds that are part of it. You'd have access to all the genetic material you wanted. The Interspecies Medical Exchange could help your scientists figure out the best treatment. You wouldn't even need to join as a member!"

Three pair of black eyes blinked their common befuddlement. "Perhaps over time," X-Eliantix finally said, "but the survival of my world is at stake now. I'm sure you understand, Captain."

"Wait —," Archer, "you don't need to abduct us. Bring us back to Enterprise and we'll help you. I'm sure we'll find volunteers on Enter —," he stopped himself short, eyeing the Aneukarians narrowly. "What happens to us after you use our genetic material?"

"Based on our understanding of your biology, your species produces vast amounts of material over their lifetime. There are millions of Aneukarians in need of replenishing their reserves. More than all of you combined can provide but we hope that with proper care we can address most of the population."

"So you're going to keep us there as...," — were they saying what he thought they were saying? He thought for sure he must be mistaken —, "a 'reservoir' of genetic material?"

"You will be well taken care of, Captain," X-Igofox broke in, "it is our interest that you are maintained in optimal health for a very long time."

His head was already reeling, he might as well follow this all the way to the rabbit hole. "And what you want from us, from the sixty-two male prisoners...," he wasn't sure how to express it.

"...will be from you to extract genetic material on a regular basis." X-Igofox supplied helpfully.

She looked at X-Aljikax, wondering what the Human captain seemed to find amusing.

* * *

_Glossary_

X-Eliantix - captain of Tarorat, the Aneukarian ship.

X-Aljikax - first officer of Tarorat.

X-Igofox - doctor of Tarorat.

X-Urwjanx - chief engineer of Tarorat.


	5. Apoidea - Act IV

"_Acting Captain T'Pol's log - It has been two days eighteen hours and fifty-six seconds since we discovered the Aneukarians abducted all the Human men on Enterprise. We have effectuated repairs on the dilithium converter and are in pursuit of the Tarorat though we are limited to impulse speed in order to keep track of the ship's ion trail. Only critical functions are being manned and the entire crew complement is rotating through Engineering in shifts. Due to the current shortage of personnel, Specialist Harold Wilcox has been released from custody and is being treated as a regular crew member after providing a cultural oath that he will not interfere with the rescue operation_. _Dr. Phlox and the science team have not yet arrived at a conclusion as to the reason for the Aneukarians' abduction of all male crewmembers and their apparent misperception that they have freed us from an oppressive species. _"

* * *

T'Pol shuts off the recording. She tries to keep the captain's logs reasonably succinct, without the level of detail that would be expected on a Vulcan ship. She turns it on again.

* * *

_"Morale has been adversely impacted by the events of the past days and I have designed Ensign Sato as Acting First Officer and Chief Communications_ _Officer, to help regulate expectations and maintain open communications with the crew_."

* * *

It is a logical extension of the ensign's duties as the officer in charge of Communications. She has appointed her in acknowledgement of the fact she is reaching the limit in terms of her emotional understanding of Humans. The mood of the crew has been subdued since the very first all-hands meeting. She does not understand why it is so. Once it was confirmed that all the men were abducted, save for the one lone ensign and Dr. Phlox, she would have expected the resolution of the mystery to lift morale. Human reactions remain somewhat unpredictable for her.

There is an additional reason. She finds dealing with the anxieties of the crew without the reassuring certainty of the bond to be overly taxing. Since the very first all-hands meeting, she has had no time to herself, other than a quick change of clothes at the beginning of each day. There was the second all-hands meeting, to announce which parts of the ship would be shuttered, to minimize the drain on ship's resources and the number of hands necessary for maintenance, and poll crew members as to their personal interests. It was logical to redraw assignments according to those interests. Then the meetings with the different heads of sections, or acting heads, fortunately only a handful of ship's functions had no female crew member at all; checking on the replication of the dilithium converter; helping the science teams decipher the computer trail left by the Aneukarians; taking the helm when Ensign Sato went on her rest period; filling other shifts as needed; or as required, in Engineering.

The constant assault of high-pitched Human feelings and emotions is pressing on her shields in a way that is almost physically painful, the waves of Human anxiety feed off the uncertainty of the silent bond. A Vulcan's emotional register must remain on an even keel or there is a chance primal passions will overcome. It would be illogical to let unproductive emotions rule when the ship is being appropriately staffed and a rescue mission is under way, but she is not always logical where Trip is concerned. She mentally holds on to the mantra that a consistent and thorough application of a research algorithm along with the information already obtained will lead Enterprise to where the Aneukarians are holding the male crew members. And Trip.

The research algorithm is hard to come by. Lieutenant Reed would know what to do, which searches to prioritize. Even though she would prefer all hands available for the pursuit and ship's functions, she has had to carve out a half-dozen crew members for the investigation of the reasons why the Aneukarians took the men and to what intent, the clues as to which system they came from. It is painstaking work, one that Lieutenant Reed would be more efficient at. There have been a couple of occasions where a later method proved to be far superior to their initial approach.

But Lieutenant Reed is not there, and his function is one of many where they lack the appropriate resources. She fills in where she can, over the years her position as First Officer has given her more of an insight on the internal processes of each department, she can guide the personnel that is left. With enough time, she could fully learn each of those areas, but time is not what they have.

In the middle of it all Dr. Phlox pulled her aside to let he know he had uncovered why crewman Willcox had not been taken by the Aneukarians. She initially assumed a gender-transition, then based on the doctor's demeanor thought it had to do with the disappearance of the men. Which it did, to an extent. Specialist Wilcox is not Human, a well-engineered DNA obfuscation that could have fooled the doctor if he were not specifically looking into why the Aneukarians left him behind. A Pakled spy, genetically modified to ressemble a Human male. Cole and Ygout would have much preferred keeping him in the brig, but custody requires resources. And that, they do not have. A pair of hands is a pair of hands, alien or otherwise.

Pakled or not, Specialist Wilcox is just as intent as the rest of the crew on retrieving the sixty-two missing crewmembers. If only for the fact that Enterprise limited to only critical functions is not the most comfortable ship, especially since its acting captain has declared kitchen detail to be an unnecessary use of resources. Emergency rations are neither palatable not popular but as she told Dr. Phlox, if their mission fails they will have time to cook full meals while waiting for rescue. Her own situation is better than in the Expanse. Starfleet has incorporated a vegetarian option in the emergency rations. A single option, meals on end of eating the same slightly nutritionally deficient quickzip pack. Phlox has already planned to provide the supplements required for proper copper-hemoglobin formation.

* * *

_"Acting Captain T'Pol's Log - It has been ten days and five hours since the Aneukarians abducted the __Human __men. We are still in pursuit of the Tarorat. We were able to expand the range of sensor-reading by parsing out the DNU-optical transmitters and regenerating the morcoid array and we can use warp speed on short stretches. Lieutenant Hess reverse-engineered the data in the replicator and is confident that the Tarorat has a maximum speed of warp 3. Science teams are overlaying potential trajectories of the Tarorat against Vulcan charts and I am in the process of building a computational model to estimate the probabilities of various courses. If we can locate Aneukaria, we should be able to reach it ahead of the Tarorat. The crew is holding up in spite of an extended period of double shifts."_

* * *

"T'Pol!" The doors swoosh open and the doctor walks excitedly into the ready room. She makes a mental note to get a lock installed once there are enough hands on board. "I think I've got something!"

"Unless it is the coordinates of the planet Aneukaria..." T'Pol stops the sarcastic comment before it fully escapes her. "Yes, doctor," she quickly recovers.

Not quickly enough for Phlox's medical acumen. "I told you even Vulcans need a minimum of sleep or meditation, yes? It's been ten days already, perhaps now that things are in some semblance of order you can take time and sleep, hmm?" Phlox smiles at her. "Unless you want your friendly doctor to make it an order," he pointedly adds.

"Medical officers may not relieve command during an emergency situation."

"Unless the situation has stabilized, Starfleet regulation 61-AZ16, which it has."

"Very well, doctor." She needs to preserve her energies for their common survival. She will meditate. Of course, she does not say when. Nor does she mention that she has tried to meditate but has not been able to, the anxiety about Trip's fate keeping her anchored to the present and the now.

If Phlox is surprised at the sudden reversal, he doesn't show it. "Specialist Nancy Gordon helped figure it out," he is animatedly going on, "you owe to use her, she's really good." T'Pol refrains from snapping back that Specialist Gordon is one of her scientists. She does need to meditate. She interrogates the doctor with one eyebrow, waiting for him to speak. Obviously, it is best for her to minimize verbalizations.

Her non-reaction forces the Denobulan into a more measured tone. "We've been sifting through what they've been looking at in the ship's database, trying to find some thread of explanation. They were only aboard for slightly over twenty-four hours, forty-two of them, so they could only cover ten percent of what we have. We kept seeing the same thing but we couldn't figure out what they were looking for. Gordon came up with a brilliant idea." Phlox stops, smiles at her. "Actually, you have a hand in it, too. Remember when you declared the kitchen to be a non-critical ship function?"

T'Pol is incredulous that Phlox would ask her if she remembers when it was only ten days ago. And when he reacted very emotionally to her decision, arguing crew morale until she pointed out that cooking three meals a day for twenty-seven crew members would require two more crew members than they had the luxury to spare. She remains silent.

"Well, it turns out that the crew listened to you." T'Pol refrains from an acerbic comment about why that would be surprising. She really needs to meditate.

"When you put the kitchen on the non-critical list, they stopped all related functions. And I mean all of them. Including dealing with the refuse." Phlox is starting to gesticulate animatedly. "The refuse which includes the meals that the Aneukarians didn't finish."

T'Pol nods, she's starting to see where this is going. Kitchen refuse usually gets compacted before being recycled through the engines. If it was not compacted — evidently it was not recycled, or the doctor wouldn't be talking about it — then the clues it might hold were not tampered with. She waits for Dr. Phlox to continue.

"So all we had to do was recover the refuse and start matching the DNA we found to that of the crew."

T'Pol nods again, that explains the fingering out of Ensign Willcox. "And what didn't match was Aneukarian DNA," she finishes. For once, a sarcastic remark doesn't come first. Perhaps talking about science is a good antidote to the lack of meditation.

"Exactly!" Phlox beams, as he is wont to do whenever he can mentally collaborate with her. "And we extracted enough DNA that it looks like we've gotten forty out of the forty-two Aneukarians."

T'Pol raises an eyebrow. There is an ancillary question as to why two of the aliens did not eat. Perhaps one of them was the engineer. Based on her own observations, this is a group that often forgets to eat when they are dealing with a technical problem of exquisite complexity. She waits patiently for Dr. Phlox to finish.

"And what we found," Phlox pauses for emphasis, "is that most of their DNA is damaged. I cannot figure the cause, and when we correct for age differences, the damage seems to have happened at exactly the same time!" he finishes. "It must have been some kind of external influence that gravely compromised all of the Aneukarians. Possibly an environmental disaster of planetary scale. Or it could have been artificial. We don't know. But what we do know is that their society is doomed unless they find a way of repairing it, because the recombinant DNA is not viable."

"Recombinant DNA?"

"I coined the word myself. Another peculiarity is that they only have one sex."

T'Pol bites back the comment that so does most everyone she knows. She really does need to meditate.

"But I don't think that's why they took the men," Phlox goes on.

"What is your hypothesis as to why they abducted only the male crew members?"

"I do, but purely based on a species-centric extrapolation from our reactions." He goes on when he sees T'Pol is waiting for an explanation, "Think of it in reverse. If we suddenly encountered a species with a single gender, it would take us a while to figure out there were no men or women. We'd be trying to organize everything we found according to the structure we're familiar with. I think that's what happened. They only have one gender. So by extension, the other gender is neither expected, nor normal. If it was us, our first thought would be that it is an invasive species, or perhaps a parasite, we wouldn't think of a symbiotic relationship until further down the road. And pretty much everything in the historical database confirmed that misperception."

"And that is why they mistakenly thought they were liberating the crew..." T'Pol concludes. She walks up to the window, hands behind her back. "But then why take the men, why not summarily execute them?" The question is logical to the Vulcan mind, even if a Human mind would recoil from its expression.

"The DNA!" Phlox exclaims as if it were self-evident.

"But they are male?"

"That's only a minuscule part of the information. If we compare Human DNA with that of the Aneukarians, the redundant parts of the Human DNA almost exactly match the damaged part of the Aneukarian one. And it's already packaged for reproduction. All they have to do is lift and splice."

"They took the men for their DNA?" As a Vulcan, this intimates images of gory evisceration. Phlox sees her eyes widen, realizes he's faced with yet another species-centric extrapolation.

"It's not the same with Humans," he hastens to remind her. "Actually," he smiles broadly, "I am pretty confident no harm will come to the men."

* * *

"_Acting Captain T'Pol's log - Three weeks, two days and seventeen hours since the Aneukarians abducted the men. We have entered what we believe to be Aneukarian space, based on a triangulation of the general coordinates provided by the Aneukarians and the extrapolation of their warp trajectories. The ion trail from the Tarorat has faded and we are looking for a Minshara-class planet that would be Aneukaria."_

* * *

T'Pol shuts off the recording, turns back to the computer in the ready room which she has linked to the science console. She blinks repeatedly as she fights to focus on the image on the screen.

'We are looking for a Minshara-class planet' is somewhat of an aggrandizement. She is the only one looking, everyone else is too busy running the ship. Efficiency is down to numbers she has never seen before. Which makes running the ship even more of a drain on resources.

She gets up, shivering, to raise the temperature in the ready room and realizes that she has already reached the computer-set maximum tolerable temperature for Humans. To go above it would raise an alarm and unnecessarily divert resources. She is reminded of this, which means she must have tried before. The days are blurring into each other.

Vulcans can go without sleep for extended periods of time. She's a Vulcan. Therefore she can go without sleep for extended periods of time. Fatigue is already dulling the rational consideration that this does not apply when they have to be physically active all day long, like she's had with the double- and triple-shifts. And that it certainly does not apply when they cannot meditate.

She checks the chronometer, similarly unaware that she should know what time it is, then braces herself against the sudden drop in temperature and steps onto the bridge. The ready room will feel a lot warmer when she comes back.

Ensign Sato is at the helm, where she has been for three weeks straight apart from her shifts in Engineering. "Your relief," T'Pol announces as she comes near and the ensign silently gets up. T'Pol slides into the seat and enters the coordinates for the latest planet that the computer has identified as having the possibility of life.

Hoshi is too tired to smile at T'Pol as she gets up. All she wants to do is sleep, take a shower, eat a warm meal in the mess hall, and sleep again. At least she will get to do the first part but when she wakes up she'll have to go straight to Engineering. But she'll get to sleep. Based on the fine lines accumulating under the Vulcan's eyes she doubts their captain is sleeping at all.

* * *

"_Acting Captain T'Pol's log - We have located Aneukaria. We are approaching at quarter impulse. There is no sign of a defense perimeter. We will reach it in less than two days."_

* * *

She has forgotten to record the time since the men were adopted - correction, abducted. T'Pol pushes off from the desk. She will do it on the next log. Her shift in Engineering is about to start.

Work in the engine room is loud and smelly, consoles beeping incessantly, the clanging of pipes as the fuel mix cycles through, the creaking of the exhaust plumbing as the spent mix cools before it can be safely stored, the gagging smell of coolant fluid, the metallic tang of oil, the flowery scent of the crystals, all mixing into a perfume that will never know commercial success.

At least the engine room is temperate, especially towards the back wall where ventilation doesn't reach very efficiently. The lack of ventilation, the smell and the noise combining with exhaustion create a brief moment of disorientation, the feeling that one is going to fall. She breaks the impending fall, which is only a transient sensory perception, reaching out for the first available solid support, not realizing it is one of the exhaust tubes. There is a flash feedback, the hand is instantly retracted, not quickly enough to avoid the burns, the shocked nervous system forcing out a scream. She cradles the burned hand, trying to bring the pain under control.

Lieutenant Hess is there, talking, "You're going to Sickbay."

"I am fine—"

"This is Engineering and I am the acting Chief Engineer. You have no status here. You're going to Sickbay. If you want, I can have someone walk you there."

"That will not be necessary."

The doors to Sickbay open and Dr. Phlox turns around. "Ah! Not a minute too soon." He quickly walks over with concern on his face. "Let me see. Hmm, it's only a second degree burn but it's fairly extensive. Get on a biobed and I'll pull the dermaregenerator."

The doctor is looking at the monitors above the biobed. They are spewing out what should remain private but there is little one can do about it. _Kaiidth_.

"And how long did you think you could pull off three shifts a day without any sleep?"

There is a measure of relief that Dr. Phlox uses the word 'sleep' and not 'rest'. Rest would mean meditation. One would have to admit that one has tried to meditate but that meditation has been difficult if not impossible to achieve, and unsatisfactory. How can one meditate when one's bondmate is missing, when the bond provides no direction as to whether he is alive and well, or not.

T'Pol doesn't answer. The doctor doesn't seem to be expecting an answer, and deftly ministers to her hand, wraps it in a protective layer. As soon as he is done she is sitting, ready to get up.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I have not completed—" She is interrupted by a prick on the side of her neck. — Did Dr. Phlox... She does not finish the thought.

* * *

_She is in a hotel of some type. Large white hallways, white marble, luxury settings. She needs to locate Trip, he is in the hotel, too. She is at the front desk, she asks the alien behind the counter whether they have a guest by the name of Charles Tucker. He points her towards a recessed area on the side where she can call directly to the rooms. She is about to open the com when she hears, "You were looking for me?" She turns around and it is Trip, standing there. Her katra soars on a wave of delight. _

* * *

The sensation is so intense she wakes up, blinking at the white antiseptic setting of Sickbay. She sits up. "Well, well, well," Dr. Phlox is at her side, "at least you got three hours of sleep. I didn't want to put you under longer, I know you need to be on the bridge," he adds.

She blinks at the doctor, her mind and soul still wrapped around the presence of Trip. She cannot deny the enforced rest was beneficial. Did she dream or was it the white space? Vulcans do not dream. Somehow she feels more at rest, her prodding mind reassured.

They are getting closer.

* * *

_Notes from the author: _

_I had an ending for this story which I'm no longer so happy with. It may take a while before I figure my way out of this situation..._

_In the meantime, suggestions are all welcome :)_


	6. Apoidea - Act V

_**Aneukaria**_

There could be no argument that the Aneukarians were treating them well. Their journey had been uneventful and semi-comfortable, once X-Eliantix and her crew had prepared individual cabins for them, apologizing daily for having to keep them locked up. It was one thing to break out of their quarters on Enterprise, when they knew the ship's ins and outs like the back of their hands, another entirely when they'd never seen the interior of the Tarorat before. But they had quickly figured out how to communicate and were busy preparing their escape when they were cut short by their arrival on Aneukaria.

Not at all the arrival they were expecting. They found themselves celebrated, feted, the highest dignitaries of Aneukaria all pressing for opportunities to be seen with the Enterprise men. They represented the hope of an entire world. Since then, everyone had been falling over themselves to ensure they were well taken care of while the Aneukarian geneticists scrambled to develop efficient methods to recover their DNA. In short, Archer had almost no reason to complain.

And he hated every minute of it.

It reminded him of their return from the Expanse, and that had already been a hard pill to swallow, instant fame, millions knowing his name, all kinds of buildings being built or renamed in his honor. He had saved the Human race after all, he had saved Earth. But he had chosen to do so, his crew had all chosen to follow him into the Expanse, at high personal or social cost, sometimes at the cost of their lives. And that had been fine.

But to find himself little more than a pampered pet, his entire value based on his potential as a stud, really burned him. It didn't matter how much the Aneukarians praised and valued him and his men. They were not free. They had not been free for thirty days now and heads were going to roll when they were free again. Not that he could fault the Aneukarians. Not exactly. Actually, if he thought about it long enough, and god knows he tried not to, he could see himself doing the same. Wasn't he the one who'd stolen their sole warp coil from the Illyrians?

There'd be nobody to come after him then and make him give it back. But now there'd be plenty of people coming after the Aneukarians to wrestle him and his men away. Starting with T'Pol. She must already be on her way, she'd better be, preferably with a Starfleet armada in tow. He spent hours daydreaming various battle scenarios, each time Enterprise leading a victorious Starfleet and bringing the Aneukarians to their knees, begging for mercy. And if she didn't show up and if Starfleet didn't come, he would do it himself.

They would do it themselves. Because there was not one man in the lot who was happy with his situation. A jail was a jail was a jail. Gilded or not. Valued specimen or not. All the care in the world did not make a difference. Freedom was what mattered. Freedom to choose where they would go in the next day, the next hour, the next minute.

Plus, there was the looming question of how exactly the Aneukarians were proposing to harvest what they needed, a faint and distant threat that grew on the horizon with each passing day.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

Aneukaria was a distant marble in space, only visible when the sensors were magnified to their full capacity. The ship was silent, its engines muted. Its captain was staring at the main screen, still as a statue.

Hoshi blew a stray strand of hair off her face, turned around to look at T'Pol. They'd been spending most of the past month together on the bridge, she no longer cared about decorum. "I thought we were going to rush them?"

The return eyebrow was expected. And yet not. "We will ask that they return the men expeditiously, Ensign."

That actually took a couple of beats for Hoshi to decipher. She chuckled, "No, I meant I thought we were going to attack quickly..., huh," that too could be misunderstood, "to jump on them...," she shook her head, aware she was just getting in deeper. "It's a reference to an ancient sport, American football. They would rush downfield to overcome the other side's defenses."

Silence greeted her. Hoshi inwardly rolled her eyes. How could someone possibly be so concrete? On the other hand, it was true T'Pol was exhausted. They all were. The Vulcan had come back to the bridge with a bandaged hand, Hess had told her that T'Pol had fallen asleep on her feet.

T'Pol looked at her for a couple of seconds and then suddenly leaned over the intercom. "Ensign Ortiz, I need six scientists on the bridge. You can divert resources from Engineering. Specialist Cole, I need weapons to be fully staffed. Let Ortiz know what you'll need." She seemed to think then hit the com again, "Lieutenant Hess, we will be cutting off the engines for a while. You can release personnel as directed by Ortiz."

She shut off the intercom, looked back at Hoshi. "I will be in Sickbay."

Hoshi stared at her leaving the bridge, biting her lip. If something was wrong with T'Pol… She couldn't even finish the thought. Nothing could be wrong with her.

She almost sobbed out, thinking about Malcolm, about never seeing him again. She shouldn't be so emotional. They had Aneukaria in their line of sight, they'd go in, knock a few heads, get the men back. It must be that she was emotional because she was so tired.

xxx

**_Aneukaria_**

Archer raised two fingers ever so slightly as he walked past Trip coming the other way in the hallway. The engineer was not looking towards him, seemed to not have seen him, except for the two fingers that floated just above the others as he went by.

Good. They would meet two hours from now. Count on Trip to find the one corner in the entire building close to where the equilment was located, creating a background noise that drowned their conversations.

The rest of the men would organize a volley game, everyone's attention would be riveted, the Enterprise crew making a show of gambling and taking an active interest, the Aneukarians guards on the sidelines, worried that the men were going to hurt themselves, twitching at every fall, every scraped knee, ready to go in and interrupt the game. Nobody would be paying attention to the whereabouts of three men, even if they happened to be the three most senior officers.

Their captivity had been a semi-pleasant interlude and all, but someone needed to figure out their escape.

xxx

**_Enterprise_**

T'Pol stared at the assembly of women, one Pakled male and one Denobulan. The regular all-hands meetings suggested by Hoshi seemed to have helped lessen the overall anxiety of the crew, the effort to maintain her shields was not as much of a drain. A line was open to those who could not leave their post. Phlox nodded at her. He was ready.

"We are one billion nine hundred forty-eight million six hundred twenty-six thousand three hundred and twenty-one point seventeen miles from Aneukaria," she started, "and I have ordered Enterprise to remain in position for the next twenty-four hours." There were a few exclamations, but she ignored them. "We will resume our progress at 0800 tomorrow. The only teams on duty for the next two shifts will be in the Intelligence and Weapons areas, and the kitchen detail. Warm meals will be available from 1145 to 1745 today." She paused for emphasis. "We need to be ready for battle when we arrive at Aneukaria. Starting now and until tomorrow 0800 everyone else is on forced rest. Dr. Phlox will be managing all ship functions during that time."

Excitement floated through the room as the tension of an upcoming engagement warred with the relief at finally getting some rest and a warm meal. Hoshi was staring silently at the Vulcan. Did she really plan to engage in battle? A whole planet? With one ship, half manned by a skeleton crew? Someone pinch her awake now. Muted conversations didn't last long as everyone hurried out and to their quarters. She left with along with them.

Finally, only Phlox and T'Pol were left. He looked over at T'Pol, "Do you really think we're going to go to battle?"

She had her hands behind her back, looking outside the portholes at the star-studded expanse. She looked down at the floor then turned to face Phlox, "The Aneukarians have not been hostile and their actions indicate misunderstanding more than malice. I hope they will agree to release the men once their views are corrected and we explain how the Federation can help them."

"You hope?" Phlox gently teased.

"We are going into an unknown situation with an unknown counterpart without any knowledge of their cultural predispositions. When the odds cannot be calculated, hope is an appropriate response," T'Pol deadpanned.

Phlox cleared his throat, careful about what he said next, "You are going to rest?"

T'pol continued staring silently at the windows, "It would be illogical not to. I need to make sure I am functioning optimally."

That was a surprise. He nodded. He had no qualms about taking care of the ship alone, he'd done it in the Expanse, and this time he wasn't going to hallucinate. But they were jumping into the unknown, to face an ill-known species and the stakes were large. He hoped somehow things would work out for all of them.

xxx

**_Aneukaria_**

"We don't even know where we are on the planet!" Reed exclaimed.

Archer sighed, "I agree, it's somewhat of a harebrained scheme but at least we'll be out. Once we are free, we can split into smaller groups, try to make a go of it."

"We'd have to find the way to their spaceport, then find a way to steal a transport of some kind and then hope that somehow there's a Federation ship out there waiting for us, and all that before the Aneukarians recapture us," the security lieutenant was adamantly shaking his head 'no'.

Archer eyed Reed through narrowed eyes. When did he become the resident Vulcan? Fortunately Trip was nodding his own vigorous assent to Archer's plan. The engineer had been fairly subdued since the their abduction. He was the only one who didn't seem to find anything even remotely humorous in how the Aneukarians proposed to collect their genetic material.

"I say we go for it. They won't hurt us because we're too precious to them, so worse that can happen is we're back here and in the meantime we have a little bit of a better idea about the place. For the next time." Trip was getting animated. "Because I'll keep trying until I get off this forsaken planet."

Archer eyed Trip closely. The engineer was more adamant than what seemed warranted. Trip had to know that eventually Starfleet and the Federation would find them, even if T'Pol was not the one leading the charge. It just meant it would take a little longer. He pushed the budding concern about his friend out of his mind.

xxx

**_Enterprise_**

Walking into her quarters was almost like stepping into a different world. It had been weeks since she had fully been there. Once she was settled she made a beeline for the meditation corner, folding gratefully into her usual pose.

The presence of Trip still resonated within her and she did not have any difficulty slipping into the upper levels of mindful relaxation. Soon, she was in a serene environment of white mists, her eyes and mind and senses freed from a constant barrage of stimuli.

"And where exactly did you disappear to?" a voice in the back of her almost made her jump.

She quickly recovered. Trip? She got up, turned slowly towards the voice. It was Trip. So the time before had not been a dream.

"I have been here the entire time," she couldn't help the peevish tone in her voice. He always did that to her, bring her emotions close to the surface. And with a sizeable sleep deficit, her emotions were already very close.

He was grinning at her, obviously enjoying the fact he'd gotten a rise out of her. But then he sobered up. "I thought you weren't gonna come back," he said more softly.

"Trip?" she said again. Something was not right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Are you all right?"

He was shaking his head. "The Aneukarians, they want genetic material from us..."

"Yes, Dr. Phlox was able to ascertain they need to replenish parts of their DNA with Human DNA."

"It's not that. It's," he swallowed, "you know what happened with the Orion women?" he was looking at her beseechingly, pleading with her to understand.

But she didn't. "The Orion women," she blinked, wondering about a logical connection between the Orion women and the Aneukarian single-sexed aliens.

"How I was completely unaffected by their pheromones," Trip went on when he saw she wasn't quite connecting things.

"You expect to be unaffected by the Aneukarians...," she proposed, "and that is going to present an issue?" She still did not see the connection between that and genetic material. She was trying to maintain a scientific distance from what he was saying, pushing back a primal wave of blinding anger. He should know better. She was a Vulcan.

"No, no..., not quite." He took a deep breath, "Listen, the Aneukarians, they got some material while they were on Enterprise, got some ideas about stuff that Human men find exciting, you know what I mean?" She didn't have to admit she didn't, Trip was already going on, "Well, they've been showing us things, trying to figure out the best way to get what they want... Except, these kinds of things... They just don't work for me. I think it's the bond, it's like the Orion thing."

"And that presents an issue for you...?" T'Pol was exerting a formidable amount of restraint not to give way to the upswell of emotion that was directing her to maim and kill - she didn't know what exactly. Trip had called it "stuff".

"No, it's not what you think. But the Aneukarians, I can't shake the feeling they're looking at us like livestock, that if they don't get what they want they'll just get rid of us. Or some of us."

His remarks re-established a scientific perspective, allowing to maintain some distance from what he was saying. "And you presume the reason you are not giving them what they want is the bond, not any issue with the stimuli?"

Trip passed a hand in his hair in the way only he could, "Well, yeah...," he had obviously not considered that possibility.

T'Pol put her hands on her hips, "The bond protected you from the effect of the Orion pheromones because Vulcans are not sensitive to those, but that was because I was present and subjected to the same influences. The bond would have been of little protection if you had encountered the Orions alone." She reinforced her statement by sending an image through the bond, of a naked Vulcan female, not her but somewhat with about the same body type. The response from Trip was instantaneous.

They both looked down at it. Then T'Pol looked at him smugly, "See, the issue is not the bond, but the stimuli."

"Oh, great," he groaned in turn, not a reaction she was expecting. She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"They've got us under constant surveillance. They're going to know..." He didn't finish.

"But your life will be protected," she pointed out. Sometimes the logic of her bondmate eluded her.

"And what d'you think they'll do with that knowledge? How're d'you think you're going to feel when it happens?" He crossed his arms in turn, looking at her as if she was missing an essential part of the puzzle.

"When what happens? Vulcans don't have feel..." she started in succession, her voice trailing as she suddenly saw through the bond the image of Trip engaged in producing genetic material for the Aneukarians. Another upswell of rage ran through her. She did not understand masturbation in Humans, she simply knew it existed, their need to mate was not as savagely biological as it was for Vulcans.

But Vulcan biology demanded access be exclusive, it was a matter of life and death. Hard-coded biological imperatives made it as if the Aneukarian interference was threatening her own survival. Getting to Aneukaria took on a greater urgency. "Do you know where you are located on Aneukaria?" she asked.

Trip shook his head, "We've been trying to figure it out, we have no idea where they're holding us, but we think it's close to the center of government." He smirked, "we're such precious commodity, you know."

T'Pol couldn't keep both eyebrows from lifting at the thoug ht, but she didn't let that distract her. "How much protection—"

She didn't finish the thought, she was back in her quarters. Since there had been no disturbance on her side, it meant Trip had been jarred out of his meditative state.

She put on her uniform back on. The need to find the center of government took precedence over anything else.

She would join the science teams, sift through the information they were gathering on Aneukaria, help them find densely populated areas, see if they could infer which was the center of government. Phlox would understand.

xxx


	7. Apoidea - ACT VI

xxx

**_Enterprise - 2200_**

Phlox sighed as he stepped onto the bridge. He had expected there would be a few stragglers, not the full complement from Weapons and Science. Not to mention the main culprit.

He hardly spared a glance her way as he proceeded to herd everyone off. "This is your friendly doctor. It's the end of the second shift, everyone, off the bridge now! You're all on enforced rest until 0800 tomorrow, Captain's order!" When the last one had stepped off the bridge, he finally turned to her, "I thought you were going to rest?!" His tone was halfway being curious and furious.

T'Pol stood up from where she had been leaning over the science console, noting the soreness of the muscles in her back. That was highly unusual. She chalked it as another fatigue-related exception, pushed the pain out of her mind.

"I have meditated, doctor," she deflected, trusting the doctor would not know to enquire about the length or quality of her meditation. The deceit was logical, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, or the one.

"Well, I suggest you do more of it." Phlox eyed her with the air of someone who'd heard fibs of that kind before.

She pointedly ignored his suggestion, calling his attention to the image on the screen. "We have identified several areas of heightened population density on the planet's surface."

Phlox couldn't help but turn to look at the main screen, where Aneukaria was little more than a large dot, with close-up views checkered all around it. "You think that's where the men are?"

"Trip —" T'Pol cut herself off, appalled that fatigue had allowed her to slip on such a private matter. "I believe the men are held close to the centers of power, yes. Those are usually highly populated."

Phlox eyed her narrowly, putting two and two together. "How the Aneukarians treating them? Are they hurting them?"

T'Pol turned to look straight through him, "We will get to Aneukaria before they can." Phlox instinctively glanced around for anything that could be used in self-defense. T'Pol took a breath in, mentally reining in the blood anger that arose every time she thought of the Aneukarians' interferience in her relationship with Trip.

Phlox stood wondering what had just happened. It felt as if shutters had forcefully closed and the feeling of imminent danger disappeared. T'Pol was looking away from him.

It suddenly dawned on him. She had almost no control over her shields. "You— need— to— rest," he articulated slowly and clearly.

"I will rest," she conceded.

On the other hand, he might prefer an angry Vulcan to lead them into a hostile situation. "And how do you propose to get the men? Knock on the door, say excuse me, and leave with the lot of them?" he changed the topic.

"The Aneukarians have not shown themselves to be a hostile species. Their past behavior leads me to believe they will be willing to establish contact."

"Their past behavior would indicate they will do more than establish contact," Phlox countered. "Let's not forget they abducted sixty-two crew members. Once they spot Enterprise approaching they'll have plenty of time to prepare an attack," he was admonishing, but he was not looking at her unkindly.

"There won't be time. We will rush them, doctor."

"Rush them?"

"It is an expression from an ancient Terran sport, American football. "

"American football, hmm?" Phlox had no idea what that was but he looked at the screen appraisingly.

T'Pol cocked an eyebrow at him, "We will proceed at quarter impulse while the science teams complete their recognizance of the planet. At the point where Enterprise becomes visible to them, we will go to warp." She waited a half-beat. "And come out of it at the apex of their atmosphere."

Phlox could have strangled himself with shock. "That's an incredibly dangerous maneuver!" And they didn't even have Travis to finesse the orbit.

"It is achievable. And the Aneukarians will have limited time to react. They will be willing to establish contact."

She didn't need say more. The Aneukarians would find that the center of their government was in the direct line of fire of a Federation starship. Phlox stood staring a the screen, rocking lightly back and forth on his heels. "Most people would swoop in, bomb a couple of places, and leave with the men," he commented, his tone underlining that this was the customary approach.

T'Pol turned to him with a long-suffering glance, "Even if we were to know exactly where the men are located, we do not have the capacity to extract them all at once," she rose and walked to the turbolift, Phlox walking in tandem with her, "we could end in a hostage situation. Your point, doctor?"

He realized she had maneuvered him right to the turbolift door, and there was no much he could do but step in. "Sometimes talking is the optimal solution," she added, which he understood to be a peace offering, coming from a Vulcan.

"The Humans have a saying, speak softly and carry a big stick'," he agreed.

A raised eyebrow greeted him, "Another Terran sport?"

"American baseball, I believe." He stepped into the elevator, "And remember to rest."

"Shortly, doctor, shortly." T'Pol was already on her way back to the science console.

Phlox caught a glance of her just as the doors were closing on his view of the bridge, noting the unusual tension in her shoulders, as if the weight of command and lack of sleep were starting to physically push down on her.

xxx

_**Aneukaria**_

"You okay?"

Trip would have liked to chuckle in response but it's hard to chuckle when some taller alien backhanded you across the face a split second before you remembered that same aliens could lift fifty pounds with one hand, the strength of the blow sending you straight to the floor and straight to dreamland.

And then you wake up in some new cell, trying to figure out if your face is still attached to your head because all you can feel is a lot of numbness. Malcolm is there with you, telling you the details of what happened, except that you can't really hear him above the ringing in your head. But since he isn't freaking out at your sight, you take that as a good sign that your face is still where its supposed to be, attached to your head attached to your body, even if your brain is saying that ain't so because you can't feel anything there.

You want to ask Malcolm but "Hmmph..." is all you can say, as if you just blew him off except you didn't. You can't really articulate anything when your lips are the size of watermelons. You check to make sure they're still attached to your face still attached to your head still attached to your body.

Malcolm finally catches on to what you're doing. "Oh, don't worry about it. The swelling will go down in a couple of days. I've seen worse, though I'd to say you're pretty much right up there. You should've seen that guy on my patrol who crossed a couple of Klingons in a bar."

'Shut up, Mal, just shut up,' you think, because you really don't want to be up there with the guy whose face was smashed by the Klingons.

But since you can't speak there's not much you can do and you just sit there with your ringing head while Malcolm tells you how after the Aneukarian hit you he jumped her, 'cause they can still be 'her' even if they've only got the one sex, right?, and she back-handed him too, except she held back and he looks normally banged up. But then all the men who were around joined the fray and it turned into a general brawl, Humans against Aneukarians, the men giving free rein to their frustrations, aliens running all around trying to stop them without hurting them. In a way, it's been a good test of the Aneukarian response system and potential vulnerabilities, a successful ending from Malcolm's perspective.

In the end, the one who hit you got in trouble for it, not that it does much to the throbbing in your ear. Now everyone's locked up in their cell, except for you and Malcolm, you've been thrown into this uncomfortable holding pen. Question is whether they'll let you out, and you may not really want to be let out anyway. Though trust Jonathan to be such a pain in the Aneukarians' side that they will let you out eventually. Between a rock and a hard place, that's where you'll be when they do.

"Hopefully they forget about us for a while," Malcolm is echoing your thoughts, "at least you're protected because you're married to a Vulcan, you have no choice. She'll kill you if you do anything."

You'd snort if you were sure your face was still attached to your head. But first it would be too painful and second you don't want to risk anything getting detached.

If Malcolm only knew. You know that she's on her way but you can't tell the others, they'd start asking how you know, and then they'll get all weirded out and think that's somehow she's spying on them through your head. Hell, you'd probably have the same thoughts if someone'd told you about it beforehand. But the bond just forced itself between the two of you willy-nilly, as if it were meant to be. One-night hook-up, and bang, you're married. What are the chances?

Like winning the lottery. Your alter ego is grinning like the cat who got the canary. Cause you certainly can't grin with your face numb as it is. Nobody quite understands what a bond is like. You've got to be in one to fully appreciate it. So all you can say, if you could actually talk, is that she must be on her way.

And now you hope she gets here real fast because the next time an Aneukarian tries to get her hands on you you'll react the same way, and you're not sure your face can take it.

xxx

**_Enterprise - 0550_**

Phlox erupted out of the elevators ready to go to town on a specific member of the crew. And stopped dead in his tracks, blinking. Did he hallucinate getting the Weapons and Science teams off the bridge? Because they were all right there, fully staffed, creating a harmonious organized chaos as orders fused from side to side.

"Magnify to ε-power 10x5, Ensign, start scanning by 5 degrees from 15 latitude, 95 longitude. Identify any array with a high-filed strength higher than 1.5TTV."—

"Ygout, what's the matter with left aft canon? The aim is two degrees off where it should be?!"—

"Captain, I spotted a band of higher density zone right around the midway, mass of land, difficult to ascertain what's around but it could be water!"—

"Corporal! Armory indicates they're low on diethylkine spools!"

"Tell them to replicate!"—

Phlox shook his head, acknowledging defeat. The time was 0553, it was quite clear that his exhortations for rest and sleep had fallen on deaf ears, pointed or not. He approached the captain's chair.

"Is it 0800 yet?" he asked pointedly. And added, "Hmm?"

T'Pol threw him a sideways glance, went back to consulting the padd a junior scientist was holding for her review, "I had one point eight hours of uninterrupted sleep," she replied.

'Hardy har har', he thought. And chose not to make an issue of it. "We're still rushing them?" he asked instead.

Her retort was cut off by someone calling from the side, "Captain!"

"What is it, Ensign Vik?"

"The planet, there are not enough life signs!"

"Please expound."

"Variations in the spectrum algorithm. The populated zones are not uniformly reflective, there's up to a 70% variance within the zones themselves!"

That got a raised eyebrow. T'Pol handed the padd back to the junior, got up and approached the screen. Phlox fell in step right behind her, not that there was much else for him to do. She was blinking, considering the whole of the information, the close-ups had become much more detailed since the night before.

Phlox thought it was an opportune moment to enquire, "What does that mean?"

T'Pol turned to him. "It means for one, doctor, we may not encounter the level of resistance we have been preparing for." She paused. "There is a higher-than-expected proportion of empty structures. The buildings are there, but the inhabitants are not."

It was his turn to look at the screen, "As if there had been a massive depopulation," he mused. "That does fit with the DNA deterioration we've observed."

"Indeed." She went back to the Captain's chair.

xxx

**_Enterprise - 1015_**

"We're close enough they might see us, Captain!" Specialist Gordon called out from the sensor array. It was simple enough: if she could see them, they could see her.

"Any sign of a defense perimeter, Specialist?"

Nancy shook her head. "We're still too far to tell. Nothing shows but their defense mechanisms may only become active upon a trigger."

T'Pol nodded. That was the correct inference.

She got up and went to the helm, quickly keying in their position vectors. She turned to the com on the console, "Engineering, are you ready to proceed?"

"Waiting for your order, Captain." Hess's voice rang loud over the bridge.

T'Pol nodded, looked up the proposed course, laid it in the helm. "Lieutenant Hess, shut off all engines."

"Shutting engines off!"

T'Pol was staring at the relative field indicator. Everyone on the bridge stopped what they were doing, watching. The trick in a warp-stealth approach was to come out of warp at exactly the right speed. If she waited until Enterprise had lost all momentum, the additional energy to recreate the warp field would land them inside the atmosphere on arrival, to crash and burn quikly. The same as if she went to warp too soon, before the ship had slowed down enough. The warp order had to be given exactly as the ship reached the nadir of its deceleration, but before it got there, and factor in Human reaction time between her order and Hess re-starting the engines.

The seconds flew by on the screen and still nobody moved.

"Hess, warp three!" The motion was so swift, most saw it only after they heard her.

"Warp Three!" Hess responded inside of a second.

T'Pol braced herself against the helm, even if she knew it would make no difference to the ship direction, her ability to react freely could mean the difference between catching the right orbit or coming too close to the planet. Or too far from it. Too far meant triggering the defense system. If the Aneukarians had space travel capabilities, they had a defense perimeter.

She kept a close watch on the course showing on the console. They had one point nine eight three seven five minutes before they reached Aneukaria. They would need to get out of warp on the cusp of the geostationary orbit, with an acceptable deviation of one thousand meters on either side. She leaned over the com, her hand hovering, watching the numbers on the display.

"Now!" she called, loudly enough to make everyone jump.

"Got it!" Hess reacted right away. T'Pol looked up, listening. The hum of the engines had stopped.

'Nine hundred seventy-six meters off orbit,' the computer mechanically informed. Hoshi snuck a sidelong glance her way. Travis would have been in the dumps for days if he got that far off the mark, would offer to give up his pilot license. But as far as they were concerned, this was a brilliant piece of piloting. Close enough was close enough.

T'Pol was bending over the console, squeezing the last remaining pre-warp speed, trying to get close enough to catch the gravity wave from the planet. Finally, she felt it, the slightest tug, but it did the rest of the pulling. "Geostationary orbit achieved," she announced. There was a collective sigh of relief on the bridge. She got up, raising an eyebrow at Hoshi. Who ever said Vulcans had no sense of humor?

She went back the Captain's chair, checking their position, blinking at the image of Aneukaria, massive on the screen.

"Human readings, Captain!" Ensign Gordon exclaimed.

"Send the coordinates to the weapons console. Specialist Cole, proceed as planned. Wide dispersion."

Amanda Cole leaned over and quickly entered the command. They watched on the main screen as the ordnance reached the planet in a wide arc, exploding in ominous red and black clouds as they fell. The Aneukarians couldn't know it was all optics, the mix of chemicals in the shells specially calibrated for show, giving an appearance of utmost power.

"Knock, knock, who's there?" Amanda's voice floated over the bridge, drawing tension-relieving chuckles.

T'Pol looked at Phlox, who looked back in shared confusion. Obviously it was a Human thing. She shrugged it off. "Ensign Sato, open a channel to Aneukaria government. Tell them we want our men back."

xxx

_**Aneukaria**_

X-Eliantix was hurrying through the hallways of the palacium imperium, summoned by the planetary preeminence. She didn't know what was happening, had seen the clouds of destruction high up in the sky, realized they were under attack. She was on her way to her unit when she'd gotten the call from the palacium. Her ship would have to wait. At least there had been no more attacks since the initial display of firepower. They didn't have the manpower to fight back, there were not enough of them anymore.

"X-Irtanimox!" X-Eliantix saluted then stood at attention, arms firmly held along her side.

The wizened planetary preeminence eyed her with deepset grey and wrinkled eyes. "X-Eliantix. You've had dealings with this ship before, I am to understand."

X-Eliantix took a step closer to the vidscreen, watching in disbelief as she recognized the nacelle and engines of Enterprise. "This is the ship where we got the Human species from, X-Irtanimox. But we freed them, they shouldn't be here! How did they find us?"

"How they found us is of little concern. They're asking for the Humans back. You need to talk to them. We cannot let that happen."

X-Eliantix nodded, thinking back to what Captain Archer had said. Perhaps he was not lying. Perhaps they were not a different species.

But they couldn't let the men go back. Only a quarter of the population remained. If they waited too long, it would be too late to hope and reverse the trend. The entire Aneukarian civilization would disappear.

The communication from the ship was coming through on a frequency that cut through the walls and echoed in the planetary preeminence's great room. "You abducted the men on Enterprise and we demand that you return them unharmed. Our weapons are aimed at you. We will fire a the slightest threat."

* * *

_Notes:_

_I am not above having cheap fun at my characters' expense. As we know, 'speak softly and carry a big stick' has nothing to do with baseball. It was coined by Roosevelt as a a proverbial saying advising the tactic of caution and non-aggression, backed up by the ability to carry out violent action if required. I thought it was appropriate for this scene._

Glossary

Specialist Amanda Cole - security

Specialist Jennifer Ygout - security

Ensign Lori Vik - science

Lieutenant Hess - Engineering

Specialist Nancy Gordon - science


	8. Apoidea - Act VII

xxx

**_Aneukaria_**

X-Eliantix opens the channel and finds herself staring at the alien with the pointed ears. Around her are a lot of those like the Aneukarians. "Why are you here? We freed you from the others...," she stops nervously.

"Our ship's doctor thinks perhaps you have extrapolated that women are the main species on Earth and that men are an invasive species, or a parasite?" the alien asks.

X-Eliantix blinks vigorously. The alien is using the same words as Captain Archer, 'men' and 'women'. Perhaps he didn't lie after all.

"Men are not a different species," the one with the pointed ears goes on, "there is only one species, Humans. Men and women are its two genders. You did not free the Human women, you took their companions and friends."

Amanda sneaks a glance at her captain. Now, that's as poetic a statement as she'd ever expect from a Vulcan. And then she remembers that the Vulcan has skin in the game, that one of the Human men is her own companion. She wants to shake her head. Who'd ever thought. She's actually sorry she tried to put the moves on Trip. She disregarded the obvious relationship he had with T'Pol because she saw her as just an alien. In retrospect, that was not her proudest moment.

"But your ship's databases very clearly indicate that the ones not like us are bigger and stronger. And that they subjugate the ones like us," X-Eliantix is blinking, trying to understand.

T'Pol's eyebrow lifts at how to explain sexual dimorphism to a people who don't even have the concept of sexes. She shall start at the beginning. "Men are not parasitic or invasive, they are necessary to the survival of the Human race. Men and women come together to procreate."

X-Eliantix doesn't know what to say. How can it be that two entities are needed for procreation? Don't the ones who look like them have a reservoir of genetic material? She realizes that some form of communication is necessary. "Don't you have a reservoir of genetic material?"

There is a pause as the alien tries to decipher what she is saying. X-Eliantix wants to help, "Every Aneukarian carries a reservoir of genetic material. When we reproduce, one of our ovule splits in two and is recombined randomly with the reserve material to create a new individual."

"Human biology is different," the alien finally explains, "men and women each carry their own genetic material." She looks up and away from the screen, focuses back on X-Eliantix. "I will ask our ship's doctor to join us, his involvement is necessary."

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

T'Pol sees Specialist Gordon trying to catch her attention, uses the pretext of calling on Dr. Phlox. She looks over at Gordon. The scientist is gesticulating wildly, the excited motion letting her know they have the exact coordinates and there is no interference. Ensign Sato is looking at her, waiting. She nods once as she places the call to Dr. Phlox. Sato gives the thumbs up sign, looks at Gordon who returns the thumbs up sign, then turns to speak in her headphones.

Phlox is rubbing his hands together with the excitement of this new development. "I thought that's what it might be," he tells X-Eliantix, "I was wondering where you'd get the DNA for the recombination. The obvious answer was you carry it with you! Do you know about the origins of the reservoirs?"

X-Eliantix is flustered, "There's never been a question, the reservoirs have always been there." She looks at X-Irtanimox in confusion. The preeminence is the longest lived among all of them, perhaps she knows.

"There are creation stories about others who were not like us at the beginning of times. Who sacrificed themselves so that those like us could live." The elderly statesman remarks. She makes clear her own view, "These are mythical stories. Poppycock!"

Phlox throws a meaningful look at Hoshi. Who exactly came up with the Standard for the Universal Translator? She doesn't see him, bent over her earphones. Then she puts a hand behind her chair, all fingers splayed.

T'Pol's expression remains the same. Phlox can only envy her poker face. He's already busy replying, keeping the preeminence occupied. More and more Aneukarians are entering then room where she and X-Eliantix are. That's good. They need everyone to stay focused on the conversation.

xxx

**_Aneukaria_**

More and more people are streaming into the room, dignitaries and palacium habituals. They assemble in small groups, trying to quickly develop options that the alien ship can accept. The alien ship needs to leave without the men. Next to the screen dominating the room, X-Irtanimox and X-Eliantix are busy trying to sway the alien.

X-Eliantix relates what she told Captain Archer about the comet and the radiation. They cannot fix the DNA in the reservoirs, too brittle and too ancient. Their year-long search led them to Enterprise and to those who do not look like them, and appeared to be an aggressive and parasitic life form.

"Men are not an aggressive or overbearing parasitic life form," the alien with the pointed ears counters, "they are one of two Human genders. Vulcan also has male and female genders, and so does Denobula, where the doctor is from. If you travel through the galaxy, you may find that most civilizations have differentiated genders."

"Actually," the doctor points out, "I suspect the Aneukarians were also two differentiated genders but that at some point in your early history the male form was absorbed into the female form of the species."

The Aneukarians present in the room look up in shocked dismay. "Those who are like us are the only Aneukarians! There are no others!" one of the dignitaries bellows. She is very close to the preeminence, a long-time and intimate friend of X-Irtanimox. What that alien doctor is saying is heresy! Unacceptable!

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

Phlox is taken aback by the vehemence of the Aneukarian. The truth is not reprehensible. A scientist would understand.

Hoshi is holding her hand behind her back again, all fingers splayed. This is the third time she's done that. It is going slowly. And it is going as fast as can be expected. It takes time to clear the transporter cache, wait for it to cycle back and be ready for another group of five.

In the transporter room, Travis stays frozen in place for a couple of seconds after the transporter stops beaming him up. There's always a stomach-churning moment when one feels about to fall off a cliff. But there's no cliff. He looks around at the transporter room, at the other men who were beamed with him, at the women handling the transporter. All he wants to do is hug them and slap them on the shoulders, run around and scream his joy. He quickly steps off the transporter pads, ready to take Beausang in a bear hug but she's shaking her head.

"You need to get cleared by Sickbay and get to your station. Captain's orders." She says that to pretty much every man who gets beamed back on board. "We need you!" she adds. He turns on his heels and hightails it to Sickbay with the other men. To get back into a proper uniform and back at work. The cat's meow.

On the bridge, T'Pol is counting the seconds. They can transport five men up every hundred and sixty seconds. There are now twenty men on Enterprise, forty-two on Aneukaria. It will take twenty-one minutes before all the men are aboard. If the Aneukarians don't detect anything. The odds that nobody will check on the prisoners while the talks are going on are decreasing as time goes by. They are now at thirty-five percent and falling.

She leans towards the screen. The other prong of the plan is to lead successful negotiations, convince the Aneukarians to release the men of their own free will, explain to them how the Federation will help. How Aneukarian civilization will survive. Their survival itself depends on it.

xxx

**_Aneukaria_**

"The aliens! The aliens!" The guard is running through the palacium as fast as she can. She erupts into the great room. "They've taken the aliens!" She yells as she falls to her knees, out of breath.

There is a gasp in the crowd. Everyone turns to the messenger, "They've... taken... half... the... men...," the guard gasps, out of breath. Fortunately, the aliens were in the palacium holding center, connected to through a network of corridors. She was able to alert the preeminence in time.

On the screen, the eyebrows of the alien with the pointed ears ascend to the sky. There is a look of consternation on the face of the other women.

"What is this?!" X-Irtanimox bellows at the screen. She knows about treachery, one doesn't become the longest living of her kind without the wiles to survive.

The alien woman blinks, remains silent.

X-Irtanimox turns to the room, "Bring them here!" She stands tall as an avenging angel. She would smite the aliens here and now except that her world desperately needs them.

She turns to the screen, "I will kill them all if any more disappear!"

The alien with the pointed ears still doesn't answer, but she gets up form her chair.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

She sees the messenger running in the great room. If she were Human, she'd wish she's rushing to tell X-Irtanimox about another pressing matter on another part of Aneukaria. But she is not Human and there is no wishing, just waiting for what must happen.

Which does happen. The preeminence is not pleased.

T'Pol gets up from the captain's chair, walks closer to the screen, where what she will say might be taken as a confidence or as a threat. "There are hundreds of ships like Enterprise in the Federation. There is a Surak class ship two weeks away with a crew of one hundred and eighty-three Vulcan scientists who could help identify the best genetic match for Aneukarians across all the Federation worlds. There is a Federation Starship five days away with enough destructive power to render your hopes of restarting Aneukarian civilization an unachievable dream. Which one comes depends on your actions now. We are here to try and negotiate a peaceful solution. "

Time has frozen on the bridge. Nobody dares move, they hardly dare breathe, they've never seen a Vulcan threaten before.

There is a first time for everything.

Hoshi finally lets out a breath as the said Vulcan walks back to the captain's chair. She knows they sent a communication to Starfleet, let them know what happened, but she hasn't seen anything back, from Starfleet or a Vulcan starship. It slowly dawns on her that perhaps T'Pol was bluffing. If she was, hats off. She'll try and rope her into the next poker game.

xxx

_**Aneukaria**_

X-Irtanimox recognizes they're at a stalemate. Thankfully the alien men are being herded into the great room, relieving her of the need to respond. She doesn't know how she would respond.

She looks over the great room, dignitaries and delegates crowded all around, the twenty or so aliens in the middle, their captain looking like he would gladly take on the whole of them. A circle of armed guards is keeping them contained. Too many people around will interfere with the guards' attention, they're just so many potential casualties.

"Everyone who is not part of the _irivemced_ leave the room," she orders. She turns to X-Eliantix, "Not you."

X-Irtanimox glares at the Human men. She wishes she could get rid of them now, teach the other alien that one does not cheat X-Irtanimox with impunity. But she is the leader of her world and she cannot sacrifice its future to her ego, no mater how tempting. "Your ship has come back. You will talk to their captain and tell them to leave," she tells the Human captain.

Archer refrains from showing any irritation, even though his first instinct if to tell them he is the captain. This is not the time to let his ego drive the discussion. "I know the captain's type," he says instead, "extremely stubborn people. I can try to talk to her but I doubt she'll listen." He puts on his best Archer face, "Instead, why don't you let us go and we can bring back more resources, people who will actually help you figure out the best approach to your issue. There are plenty of people around the Federation who'll want to help, once they understand." Actually, if the Aneukarians had asked the right way, there'd be plenty of folks on Enterprise willing to help. But what they will willingly give, they don't want taken from them.

"You will talk to her and tell her to leave." X-Irtanimox turns towards the screen but doesn't move. She'll wait to re-open the channel. Let the aliens wonder, keep them on their toes.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

X-Irtanimox has cut off the communication. That is to be expected. The Aneukarian premier will decide when and where she will be in touch again. They have a stalemate on their hands.

Thirty-five. They managed to recover thirty-five men. And yet the bond is silent, Trip is not among them. She pushes the thought aside. There are twenty-seven men left on Aneukaria.

Travis comes in to man the helm. The transporter's pick is blind, it doesn't know who's who. Only Human biosigns. It is pure luck that they got the helmsman on the third try. Other released men find their way to the bridge. There is no need for them to remain hidden anymore. They salute her as they take their station. She acknowledges each with the slightest nod, she understands the emotional need to salute even though there is no Starfleet regulation requiring it. And Vulcans don't salute.

She looks around the bridge. "Everyone in the command center now! Akhoun, you have the bridge." It's a huge responsibility for a junior scientist but the Aneukarians will not negotiate with anyone other than her, there is no reason to leave a seasoned crew member behind. The men on the bridge look up, obviously wondering if she's included them. "Everyone!" she repeats. It would be illogical to deprive herself of the counsel of those who've been on the planet. They should know that.

The mood in the command center is tense. She's succintly lays out the situation. The use of force presents its own set of problems, how to use it without destroying the men. Stealth is going to be difficult when they're held in the same room as the Aneukarian leader.

Based on what the men have shared, the chances that the Aneukaristhey will be voluntarily returned are in the range of zero to one percent. Unless they can provide another source of fresh DNA. T'Pol raises the possibility of a leaving volunteers behind, men and women, until the Federation sends a rescue ship, or even for herself to stay behind as a guaranty of return.

Many among the crew point out all the ways these options can fail. Cole is getting frustrated with the possibility of peaceful negotiations. She is more of the knock heads and take names persuasion. "What we need to do is jump on their leader and put a gun to her head, tell her to let the men go or else. Did you see how they worship her? They'll give us all the men they have to make sure she's safe!"

It would be easy to discount her as being a hothead, except that the approach does have its merits. A few beats of silence float over the room.

"Computer, show us a close-up of the great room."

Soon the entire bridge complement is examining the palacium and the great room from a number of different angles.

"See that small rectangle of space in the shade!" Cole calls out, "Bet you that's a landing pad." They all look closer, agree with her assessment. Of course the dignitaries would have access to their private landing space. "If there's a landing pad, there's a door somewhere," Cole continues, "direct access."

This will make things easier. Go in one side, come out the other. The group debates possible approaches, by land or by air, how to avoid being detected. The security team provides several alternatives, all of which are unrealistic. Finally, Cole hangs up her head, "We can't get in without being discovered."

"We will gain access to the great room," T'Pol cuts in. Everyone looks up at her, wondering what they haven't thought about. "We will be invited in." Captain Archer would have said 'We will talk our way in.' "We will elaborate a plan," she adds in the shocked slap-hand-on-forehead silence that follows.

And that is what they do, T'Pol explains her plan, Cole and Ygout supplying intelligence on logistics and timing, Ortiz on personnel, the men on Aneukarian psychological make-up. The men will not participate in the action. They have not received post-detention psychological clearance and therefore cannot take part in tactical operations against their captors. That is the logical explanation T'Pol provides.

The illogical reason being that they just got them back and nobody on the ship wants to risk losing them again.

* * *

Glossary:

X-Irtanimox - ruler of Aneukaria.

Irivmeced - Aneukaria's main Council.

X-Eliantix - captain of the Tarorat.

Specialist Amanda Cole - security

Specialist Jennifer Ygout - security

Specialist Nadine Akhoun - science

Lieutenant Azucena Ortiz - operaions

Specialist Nancy Gordon - science

Specialist Florence Beausang - Engineering


	9. Apoidea - Act VIII

_**Aneukaria**_

X-Irtanimox is pleased. It's taken a long time but they've finally reached an agreement. The aliens will leave ten men and ten women behind on Aneukaria until Federation ships come with more scientists and DNA to save her world.

The Human captain is seething, this is obviously not what he would have done, but he has no say in the matter. He is here on Aneukaria and the alien with the pointed ears is on the ship. She gets to decide.

Of course, X-Irtanimox has no intention of letting anyone leave. She will keep the ten who are like them and the thirty-five who are men. Aneukarian forces are ready to prevent anyone from leaving. They cannot take a chance the Federation ships won't show up. And they cannot wait. If Federation ships show up, they'll have a headstart. If they don't, they'll have something at least.

"Don't worry, we'll treat your crew well," she says to the Human captain. There is no need for him to know she plans to deceive the alien with the pointed ears and keep everyone, he might find a way to tell her.

They will send the one with the pointed ears back to tell the others to leave Aneukaria. They cannot use her DNA anyway. And they don't want to jeopardize the Human ship. This will help convince the Federation ships that they were not trying to hurt anyone. In case they come.

xxx

_**Enterprise**_

"Cole, Ygout, with me!" T'Pol calls as she leaves the bridge. "Hoshi, you have the con."

Hoshi pointedly swivels in her seat and stares at her. She called her Hoshi. That's never happened during a shift before.

"Good luck, Captain!" Travis calls from the helm. He's ready for action. They've gone over the plan again and again until all that's left are for alien ships to materialize in the sky below. He checks the controls, satisfied once again at how the ship purrs under his hands.

Perhaps he wasn't the one taking care of her for the past month but they did a good job. He turns around and nods at the juniors manning the weapons, "Ready, guys?"

They nod back. Ready? They've been ready for this for weeks now.

The away team is waiting for T'Pol in the shuttle bay. Cole, Ygout, Willcox, and another seven, everyone woman from security and the larger and stronger of the female crew. There were more volunteers than they had room for. They all have gone over the sequence of events, know exactly at what point they will be called into action.

Phlox is there, too. He hands the devices to T'Pol, one of the security personnel helps set them up, "Now, remember, it's not a sealed environment like a starship. The effects won't be as potent and they won't last as long." He looks over at the team, "Everyone has their filters?" They all nod back. They've already inserted them, Captain's orders. Vulcans don't take chances with details.

T'Pol positions herself a few feet from the group. She will once again go over tactics, logistics, timing, what is expected from each one of them. It will be a high-wire act.

xxx

_**Operation Aneukaria**_

The first shuttle inscribes an aesthetically pleasing curve in the sky, courtesy of its pilot. Vulcans like to draw complex ciphers in the air. The shuttle lands on the roof of the palacium, close to the great room. A second shuttle follows closely behind, Willcox at the helm. The shuttle touches down.

Operation Anakeuria has started.

T'Pol comes out of the first shuttle, Cole and Ygout behind her, rifles drawn, Nagamura following behind. The lithe woman doesn't seem to present much of a threat. There is nothing to indicate she was the Starfleet Academy aikido champion three years in a row. Six women stream out of the second shuttle.

They stop fifty feet away and two Aneukarian guards exit the great room through large bay doors. They are armed and helmeted, X-Eliantix between them. The two groups walk towards each other until there's only a couple of meters left. Both sets of guards stop.

T'Pol and X-Eliantix keep walking, until they're under the other side's guard. Nagamura has stayed with T'Pol. Cole and Ygout do not move, keeping X-Eliantix between them and the other six women behind them.

The two Aneukarian guards turn on their heels and escort T'Pol and Nagamuta to the great room. They disappear inside.

xxx

**_Five minutes and five seconds; Commandos_**

T'Pol and Nagamura step into the great room, the Aneukarian guards at the door checking them for weapons. But there's no weapons to be seen, simply a Vulcan officer with the decorative rosaces of her rank. The large bay doors close behind them.

T'Pol nods to herself. That is as planned. The bond resonates with Trip's presence. She checks that the group of twenty-seven men is in the room, hiding her displeasure at the cordon of guards with their rifles pointed at them, showing no reaction when she spots the yellow hair in the middle. He's seen her as well and is carefully blocking his emotions.

Archer is not quite as preoccupied with hiding his feelings, and he shouts above the noises in the room, "Go back to Enterprise! Leave us here! You shouldn't have come!" One of the Aneukarian guards pushes him, sending him reeling into the other men and cutting off any further exhortation.

The women keep walking to the other side of the room, where the preeminence is waiting in front of a large dark screen. "It is good that we were able to reach an agreement," X-Irtanomix welcomes them in a pleasant voice though her eyes are anything but pleasant. The alien in front of her tricked her and she would exact instant revenge if it were not for the fact that ten additional Humans are about to become Aneukaria permanent guests. And the fate of her world is more important than any ego wound.

T'Pol notes the animosity. The agreement was purely meant as a mechanism to provide access to the great room. It would be illogical to have qualms about the deception. She opens her hand for the _ta'al_, triggering the release mechanism, and the rosaces on her uniform start spewing an odorless and colorless gas.

Less than ten seconds later, the guards around her falter, falling to their knees. X-Irtanomix is about ready to call for help but she stumbles instead, and then falls. The Aneukarians in the room rush to her. They do not notice the rosaces have turned into spheres that rise to the ceiling, still emitting gas. T'Pol and Nagamura step out of the way while the Aneukarians keel over one by one.

It has been less than a minute and everyone is asleep in the great room, including the men. The women are careful to keep breathing through their noses, where the gas cannot reach past the filters.

Part B of Operation Aneukaria is starting. Nagamura runs to push the bay doors ajar, careful to remain hidden from the outside. It's been seven minutes and thirty seconds.

xxx

**_Seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds; Commandos_**

Cole and Ygout watch the doors open. They look at each other, then Ygout pulls her rifle and stuns X-Eliantix. That is the signal. The women run to the great room. There is only so much time before the Aneukarians observers react.

They rush directly to the inanimate men, injecting hypos, trying to locate the senior officers. They find the Captain and Lieutenant Reed and quickly affix homing beacons. Somehow T'Pol is already at Trip's side, turning him over to put a beacon on his chest. She sees his swollen face. Fatigue-weakened controls almost allow her primal rage to erupt, she would fire her phaser at the sleeping Aneukarians. Logical shields reassert themselves, push the anger back and allow the cooler head to prevail. Trip groans, shaking his head from side to side. She puts a hand on his forehead, imparting 'T'hyla'. His eyes spring wide open and he looks at her lovingly.

The other men wake up according to their constitution. Some are already alert, others are still groggy. The women split off to guard the doors leading to the roof and those leading further into to the palacium, Cole with one team and Ygout with the other. Archer gets up, fighting the fog. He looks at T'Pol in interrogation. "Hoshi will explain," she calls out to him just as the beacons start scintillating and the three senior officers disappear along with two other men.

It's been eight minutes and twenty-five seconds.

xxx

**_Eight minutes and twenty-five seconds; Aneukarians_**

General X-Crafonaox has watched in stupefaction as the Humans fired on X-Eliantix and ran into the great room. That is not how it was supposed to go. She reacts right away, "Defense teams, proceed!"

It seems to take interminable seconds for the teams to spring to action and yet it takes only twenty-five seconds for the ground squadrons to get in position, two on the roof, ready to shoot, two running down the corridor to the great room. It will take another forty-six seconds for the first half-dozen heavily-armed skiffs to lift off from their base, three minutes for them to reach the palacium.

Both enemy shuttles lift off as the guards reach the roof, and fly off to a safe distance. The guards aim and fire, but the shuttles are already going up. That is fine. The Humans cannot leave and the attack ships will deal with the shuttle.

The ground teams reach the great room, find the doors sealed shut. The first ones to reach the doors fall to the ground, dizzy and dazed. X-Crafonaox gives the order to retreat to a safe distance. She would have given an assault order if the troops were younger. But there haven't been young conscripts in a long time. Instead they shoot at the doors from a distance, but these were made to resist assault. They need more firepower. She gives the order for another two squads to the great room, grenade launchers from the armory, explosive ordnance. No matter how, they will gain access.

It's been nine minutes and twenty-six seconds.

xxx

**_Nine minutes and _****_twenty-six seconds_****_; Enterprise_**

"Movement on the ground!" Gordon called as soon as the sensors spotted the squadrons taking position on the roof of the palacium.

"Travis, get ready!" Hoshi calls, "Willcox, Olson, get the shuttles out of range!" The shuttles lift off just as the squadrons take position. They predicted the Aneukarians would have ground and air troops. Travis is already ready, his fingers on the controls. But he has to hold back until the transporter finishes beaming the men.

The bridge crew watches the action unfold on the main screen. There is gunfire close to the great room, Human and Vulcan biosigns inside. Hopefully it that the commandos were successful. Five lozenge-shaped dark spots suddenly appear west of the palacium. Travis carefully tracks the ships. They need to get going soon for an intercept. Where are the men!

In the transporter room, Archer, Reed, Trip and two others rematerialize. Phlox is there, waiting with a medscanner in hand. "As soon as I clear you for duty you can go." He quickly scans Archer, Malcolm. His eyes fall on Trip. "You need to go to Sickbay."

"Yepfff," Trip replies, the swelling has gone down, enough that he can say words.

Phlox turns to the other men, hears the doors swoosh shut. They're already running to the bridge, Beausang along to catch them up. He shakes his head. That also was expected.

On the bridge, Hoshi checks the time, beeps T'Pol, who answers her communicator, "The shuttles have left. We have enemy combatants on the roof. Air cover is on the way. Wait until the coast is clear."

Archer and Reed enter the bridge at a run as she signs off. "Captain!" Hoshi exclaims, her eyes locking onto Reed instead. Malcolm stops in his tracks or he would rush to her and hug her never to let go. Not in front of Archer. All they can do is stare at each other in shared understanding.

The Captain has other pressing issues on his mind. "Travis, proceed!", he barks. Far from him to interfere with whatever plan T'Pol concocted.

Part C of Operation Aneukaria is starting. It's been ten minutes and fifty seconds.

xxx

**_Ten _****_minutes and fifty seconds; _****_Enterprise_**

Travis wants to yell "Geronimo!" as he thrusts Enterprise forward and down, straight into Aneukaria's atmosphere. It seems appropriate. The Aneukarians are going to learn the power of a starship. It takes less than a minute to get within striking distance.

"Enemy combatants at 12, 3, 6 and 9!" Malcolm calmly calls. Twin bolts erupt from under the starship's carriage, hitting the targets at 12 and 3. The laser canons rotate and fire again, neutralizing the ships at 6 and 9. There is only a single aircraft remaining and it abruptly turns around and hightails it back to its base.

Enterprise traces a large loop over the palacium, dropping charges on the roof. They explode into clouds of somniferous gas, obscuring all view of the roof, the accompanying sonic boom flattening anyone still standing.

The ship streaks back up to the stratosphere, its engines screaming their abuse. In Engineering, Trip nods at Hesse, adjusts the fuel ratio. She's in charge, he can't talk well enough to give orders. He's working his magic at the mixing station instead.

There are no squadrons remaining on the roof. The shuttles zip back over.

It's been eleven minutes and fifty-two seconds.

xxx

**_Eleven _****_minutes and fifty-two seconds; _****_Commandos_**

T'Pol looks around when the echo of the sonic boom reverberates through the bay doors. The twenty-two men are ready, have been ready since Hoshi told them the shuttles were gone. Her communicator beeps again and she answers the hail.

"T'Pol!" Archer's voice surprises her. It's been a long time since she's heard her Captain. "The shuttles are on their way, get ready to board!"

She pushes the bay doors ajar just enough to check the goings on the roof. There is a gray fog all around. Shuttle Two suddenly appears in front of her. Willcox is keeping the shuttle a couple of feet off the ground. "Ygout! Get ready to take the first team out!" she yells.

It takes no time for the men to line up. The bay doors open wide and two commandos come out to form a protective cordon, infrared visors on, rifles cocked and ready, sweeping right and left for any movement. A stream of men runs behind them, jumping in the shuttle. It only seats six but twelve men manage to shove in, standing room only. Ygout jumps in last, squeezes into the copilot seat. Shuttle Two takes off. Shuttle one is already coming down to replace it.

It 's been fourteen minutes and forty-eight seconds.

xxx

**_Fourteen _****_minutes and forty-eight seconds; Aneukarians_**

X-Crafonaox is about to lose her mind. She has another two squadrons waiting for the gray fog to clear and get to the roof. She watches powerless as the attack vessels are taken out, the roof squadrons neutralized. At least the alien ship didn't kill them all.

She's running out of time. She watches in impotent rage as the bay doors open and those not like them stream out of the great room, jump into the alien vessel. Nothing she can do.

The fog is finally clearing. The squadrons are regrouping on the palacium roof.

She tells her aides to get the supplies directly to the troops trying to make their way into the great room. She'll be right behind.

It's been fifteen minutes and thirty-six seconds.

xxx

**_Fifteen _****_minutes and thirty-six seconds; Commandos_**

Shuttle One is now hovering next to the bay doors. There are ten men and nine women left in the great room. More than can fit in a shuttle. Before T'Pol can consider the question further, five crew members start shimmering away. That lets her know Enterprise is safety back in orbit. That leaves only five men and nine women. And one Vulcan. They can all fit in a shuttle but it will be a tight squeeze. Optimally, the transporter will cycle a third time but there may not be enough time for that to happen. The noise outside the great doors make it clear the Aneukarians are coming back for a second offensive.

"Stay in position!" she yells at the commandos. Nagamura replies with a thumbs up.

T'Pol rushes over to the other side, where Cole and her team are guarding the doors leading into the palacium. The commandos have set up a force-field that prevents enemy fire from coming through. "Cole! Take the second team out!" She hollers above the din of the fire hitting the doors. There is a lull. The Aneukarians must be preparing to change their tactics.

"Everyone, out! Stat!" Cole barks. She turns around and spots one of the Aneukarians starting to move, quickly stuns her. They need to act fast, the effects of the gas are dissipating.

They've already dissipated on the roof. Aneukarians are firing at the shuttle and at the bay door, forcing the two commandos back inside for protection. Cole pushes the door half-open, signals for the pilot to come nearer. She closes the gap, hovers without landing. It is a high-wire act. "We need cover!" she yells back at the women in the room. Fortunately only T'Pol and Nagamura didn't carry weapons. Soon a half-dozen commandos are pressing themselves around the door, firing through the opening, until they've established a two-time tempo. Coverage is now good enough. The men jump into the shuttle one after the other.

It's Cole's turn. She starts moving, realizes that T'Pol is not behind her. She stops. Where's the damn Vulcan? She sees her on the other side of the room, still keeping an eye on the doors. "Now!" Cole yells over to her.

T'Pol turns to move when the doors behind her blow up in a massive cloud of smoke and debris, the explosion propelling her clear across the floor. A cloud of white smoke fills the room. Cole had put her arm in front of her eyes in protection, squints through the dust and smoke, sees T'Pol moving feebly. She manages to roll on her belly and push her on her arms and legs, but it's obvous she's disoriented, possibly hurt.

Cole gauges the distance. It's crazy, she needs to leave her behind and get going, the men are safe, the captain gave precise orders about what to do if someone was left behind. The hell with it. She's not leaving without her captain.

She goes back inside, grabs T'Pol, forces her up and pushes her forward into a weird crab-like four-legged walk, the Vulcan is almost out of it. They're through the door, the women in the shuttle are firing at something behind her.

Cole flings the Vulcan inside, hoists herself in after her, feels the soft thump of two hits in her back. Two hits.

T'Pol starts to regain consciousness, grabs Cole by the back of her collar, pulls her inside. God, Vulcans are strong. Cole watches her hobble to the co-pilot seat, the shuttle lifts off, there are more hits, many of them, none strong enough to pierce the outer skin. They're up, theyre going.

Cole sees the sun, she thinks its the sun. So bright. the entire shuttle is filled with it. She closes her eyes in front of the brilliance.

xxx

THE END

* * *

Glossary

X-Eliantix (_X-Eel-yan-teex_) - captain of Tarorat (_tah-roh-raht_), the Aneukarian ship.

X-Aljikax (X-_Al-jee-kahx_) - first officer of Tarorat.

X-Igofox (_X-Ai-go-fox_) - doctor of Tarorat.

X-Urwjanx (_X-Your-wuh-janx_) - chief engineer of Tarorat.

X-Irtanimox (_X-Ear-than-ee-mox_) - ruler of Aneukaria.

_Irivmeced_ (_Ear-vee-muh-said_) - Aneukaria's main Council.

X-Crafonaox (_X-Crahf-on-hoax_) - Aneukarian general.

X-Smalix (_X-Small-eex_) - pilot of Tarorat.

X-Psilex (_X-psai-lex_) - ensign on Tarorat

Specialist Amanda Cole - security

Specialist Jennifer Ygout - security

Specialist Nadine Akhoun - science

Lieutenant Azucena Ortiz - operations

Specialist Nancy Gordon - science

Specialist Florence Beausang - Engineering

Lieutenant Hess - engineering

Ensign Harold Willcox - Pakled spy

Specialist Aiko Nagamura - operations


	10. Apoidea - Epilogue

xxx

Shuttle Two has been waiting in the decompressed Shuttle Bay. There is not enough time to repressurize for them and depressurize the bay for Shuttle One. It's hot and uncomfortable, twelve grown men squeezed into a tight space, but nobody complains. They're all looking through the front window at the open maw of the bay, waiting on tenterhooks for Shuttle One.

There is a collective gasp of relieved surprise when Shuttle One appears over the horizon. The shuttle glides to a stop. The doors close and the Bay is repressurized. The field of stars outside changes as Enterprise goes to warp.

The Shuttle Two doors open and the men get out, stopping in their tracks as Phlox barges in with a gurney and orderlies. He rushes to Shuttle One, the door opens, a body is taken out. Cole disappears in a group of running orderlies. Now it is the turn of Shuttle One to empty itself of its occupants. T'Pol is still seating. The last woman turns to her "Need a hand, Captain?"

The Vulcan looks up, steels herself, allows a guiding hand. She's limping severely, stops at the shuttle door, trying to figure out how to negotiate the step down. Several hands are held out to her and she manages the exit. The crew forms a semi-circle around her.

And then they start applauding.

She's not sure what reaction is expected from her so she doesn't react. The irruption of Archer into the Shuttle Bay, Trip on his heels, is a welcome interruption. Except that they stop in line with the crew and join the applause.

She cocks her head to the side, her eyes wide with Vulcan confusion, and Trip can't help but come to her rescue. She looks like a lost bird when that happens. He comes to her side, taking her arm so she can use him as a crutch. He smiles at Archer, or tries to, half his face still swollen, "With your leave, Captain, I think we're both needed in Sickbay."

Archer is all business again, "Good. Debrief all around when you get back." He walks to the intercom, "Hoshi, give me a ship-wide channel," listens for her signal before he clears his throat, eyeing the crew in the Shuttle Bay meaningfully. "Attention all crew members, this is Captain Archer speaking. Everyone who was not prisoner on Aneukaria is on a mandatory eight-day leave starting immediately. I don't want to see any of you at your stations for a week. We'll manage. I repeat, eight days. Captain out." He pauses. "Oh, and I'm putting all of you in for a commendation." He shuts the connection, turns back around to the crew in the Shuttle Bay. They all need a bath, a change of clothes, getting back to normal. For him and the men it means getting back to work as soon as possible.

Trip is helping T'Pol hobble her way out of the Shuttle Bay. She stops as they pass Archer. "The Aneukarians?" she asks. "They were simply a people trying to survive," she adds, "Their actions were logical if ill-advised."

Archer stares at her for a couple of heartbeats. Only a Vulcan... Well, not only. Phlox too button-holed him on the bridge. But he can't let it be known, he'd have a riot on his hands. He lowers his voice, "I asked Phlox to beam down all our reserves of active male members DNA. It will give them a head start while we tell the Federation about the planet, see what they want to do." He winks at Trip, "We'll just have to replenish Phlox's inventory."

Trip raises his eyebrows at that, is reminded that half of his face is still hurting. He glances over at T'Pol, thinking about what he's going to have to tell her. She may argue with Archer to go back to Aneukaria and grab the DNA when she knows.

xxx

* * *

_**Captain's Log** _\- The Federation is sending a diplomatic mission to Aneukaria. They have more scientific teams volunteering to take part then they need, it is not every day that one meets a race that only has a single sex. Operation Aneukaria has been renamed Operation Cole and Amanda Cole is being awarded the Medal of Valor. Archer out.


End file.
